Blue Pawn
by NinjaFalcon90
Summary: Chrom and his shepherds visits the Smash Mansion for the first time. Feeling replaced by Lucina and unneeded by his friends, Marth runs away from home and attempts to start a new life. He learns that the outside world is a terrifying world. Rated T for themes. NO pairings
1. Chapter 1: Gentle Blue

If you were to look up the word "interesting" in a dictionary, you would see a picture of Marth. He was one of the most interesting brawlers in the Smash Mansion not because he was a prince, but because of his backstory and personality. On one fateful day, Marth was overthrown by his disloyal "allies" and exiled from his kingdom. Although he was greatly shocked, he refused to hand over his beloved home to his enemies. After befriending some of his enemies and painfully shedding tears and blood, he finally won Altea back. Master Hand found his story to be interesting, so he invited Marth to the Smash Mansion.

Although he was a prince, Marth treated everyone equally despite their gender, social status, and skills. He was gentle and sensitive, which was the complete opposite of his late father Cornelius. However, due to being abruptly betrayed he was timid and sometimes afraid to speak up his mind.

Marth was invited to the Melee Tournament. At first, he was often left out and only had one friend. But in the Brawl Tournament, his popularity skyrocketed mainly because all of the brawlers were much more social. His most valued friends included Ike, Roy, Link, and Pit.

On one morning day, Marth and his friends were sitting in a nearby café, taking over a cup of coffee and tea. The café was filled with people; it wasn't as crowded as the Smash Mansion's cafeteria. People were quietly talking to their friends, calmly drinking coffee, surfing the Internet, or tying a fanfiction on their iPads. The air had the pleasant aroma of warm coffee.

"Hey guys, someone's birthday is in a few days." Roy spoke up, giving a wink to Marth. Marth jumped, looked down, and blushed. He knew whose birthday was Roy talking about.

"It can't be mines." Pit said, sipping his tea. "My birthday is in six months!"

"Let me give you a hint." Roy said with a mischievous grin. "He has blue eyes."

"Uh, we all have blue eyes." Ike spoke up.

"Oh." Roy mentally slapped himself. "Ok... He has blue hair. It can't be me!"

"Can't be me either!" Pit giggled. "Or Link!"

"Is it your birthday, Ike?" Link asked. "I know your hair is more like an indigo color but-"

Roy groaned and said, "It's Marth's!" Marth's face went a deep hue of red.

"That's great!" Pit exclaimed, causing some of the other customers to stare at him for a few seconds. "Marth, you're turning seventeen, right?"

"Y...Yes." Marth quietly answered.

"We need to do something special!" Ike said with a smile. "Let's see..." He looked across the street and saw a fancy restaurant. Wealthy people dressed in tuxedos and fancy dresses were seen entering the building. "I know, let's eat at that fancy restaurant! We can ask Master Hand for permission!"

"Are you sure?" Link asked. "The food is really expensive. They charge two dollars for a glass of a water!"

"Also, the waiters are really stuck up." Roy added with an annoyed scowl.

"Well, I think we can handle it!" Pit piped up.

"Marth, do you want to eat there?" Ike asked.

"Em..." Marth started quietly. He didn't want to eat at the fancy restaurant because it sounded boring to him. But he didn't want to reject Ike's idea. "Sure."

"Alright!" Ike said out loud. "C'mon, let's go back to the mansion and tell Master Hand!"

The five got out of their seats and headed out of the café. At that moment, a man in crutches approached the café. With a kind smile, Marth opened and held the door for him.

"Thank you." the man thanked with a grateful smile as he went inside.

"You're welcome." Marth replied shyly. He hurried back to his friends, who were waiting for him.

"Hey Marth, I always wonder why are you so kind." Ike spoke up as he and his friends walked back to the mansion. "From what I heard from rumors, your father was really cold."

"That's true..." Marth replied.

"Why aren't you like him?" Ike asked. Marth just shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"I can't picture Marth being strict and heartless." Link remarked.

"Yeah!" Roy piped up. "He wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Ah, arigatou minna." Marth bashfully thanked.

"Is anything special going on today?" Pit asked.

"Not that I know of." Ike answered.

"No special guests?" Pit asked again.

"Well... Master Hand didn't say anything about that." Ike replied. "But who knows?"

"I know Rustl and the others aren't coming." Link said, carefully looking around the busy streets. "They visited last week."

"Remember the time when Lilina and Wolt came over to visit and I gave them Nutella?" Roy spoke open, smirking under his breath.

"Oh yeah!" Pit replied, chuckling to himself. "That was really funny!"

Link glowered sternly at the teenage angel and lord. "It wasn't! Wolt got so hyper, he almost trampled Kirby and Jigglypuff!"

"C'mon, Link." Roy said. "You need to have a sense of humor!"

Link raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference between 'funny' and 'not funny'. A good example of 'funny' is when Roy's and your trap backfired. Remember that? A bad example of 'funny' is Kirby and Jigglypuff almost getting run over by Wolt! Luckily, he stopped just in time!"

"You still find that funny?" Ike spoke up mischievously. "What about the time when you two got so competitive in Wii Sports, you accidentally hit each other in the groin with the Wii remote?"

"That wasn't funny!" Roy exclaimed, showing his comical angry expression.

"Yes it was!" Ike teased back. "You guys were crying like little girls!"

"Not it wasn't!" Roy argued back. He suddenly found out that Ike was just teasing him. With an impish grin, the redhead playfully gave the mercenary a light punch on the arm, took Pit's hand, and shouted, "Let's run, Pit!"

"Y-Yeah!" Pit teasingly snuck his tongue out at Ike, who returned a playful scowl. With a laugh, the two teens rushed down the sidewalk.

Ike quickly chased after them. "Come back here! I'll get you!" he shouted, trying to sound fierce. It was a a while ever since he played like a child. Ike chased Pit and Roy down the sidewalk, towards the Smash Mansion.

"Wait for us!" Link shouted, dashing after Ike, Roy, and Pit.

Marth softly smiled to himself as he ran after his friends. Although his friends had noticeable flaws, he enjoyed spending time with them. Ike was as straightforward as a slap in the face and a bit selfish, however he was as loyal as a trained dog and protective. Link always fussed about safety and got jealous easily, yet his understanding and friendly character made it up. Roy was a bit immature and rowdy however, he always found a way to cheer people up and was very cunning for his age. Pit was naive and could easily get manipulated however, he always had a smile on his face.

Pit and Roy rushed into the Smash Mansion first. Surprisingly, all of the brawlers were hurrying towards the teleporter room. Multiple excited conversations filled the air. Roy raised an eyebrow and Pit's eyes widened. What was happening? Was there an emergency?

"Whoa, what's happening?" Roy asked Lucas, who stopped.

"We're having visitors!" Lucas piped up excitedly. "They are characters from the newest Fire Emblem game!"

"Interesting..." Pit said.

"I know!" Lucas replied, dashing after his friends Toon and Ness.

Ike, Link, and Marth entered the scene and saw the excited commotion. "What's going on?" Ike asked.

"We're having new visitors!" Roy joyfully explained. "They are Fire Emblem characters!"

"New Fire Emblem characters?" Ike asked with an interested gleam in his eyes. "C'mon, let's go!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Like father, unlike son. **

**Annnnnd, here's the first chapter of "Blue Pawn"! I'm already finished with the 2nd and 3rd chapter. I could get started on the 4th chapter, however there is a few parts I'm stuck on. In the next chapter, the new Fire Emblem characters will be introduced!**

**This fanfic is about running away and try to live on your own. I'm going to be as realistic as I can be. If you have any suggestions on what should happen, please mention it in a review! I'm still not quite fully aware on how the real world "works". **

**Also, I've opened a poll. It is asking which fanfic should I start on. Just to mention, you can vote for two choices. The Pit/Mr. Game & Watch and Link/Villager story kinda follows the same storyline so, if you want to read a Link story vote for the Link/Villager story and vice-versa. **

**Story Questions:**

**Why do you think Marth is gentle and shy unlike his father?**

**How do you characterize Ike, Marth, Link, Roy, and Pit?**


	2. Chapter 2: She Looked Familiar

Ike, Link, Marth, Roy, and Pit hurried towards the teleporter room. There, the brawlers were crowding around the entrance. Crazy Hand stood in front of the entrance, blocking the rowdy brawlers' path.

"Wait, everyone!" Crazy Hand said. "Master Hand will be here with the visitors soon!"

"I wonder how are the new characters." Link said.

"I know!" Ike replied. "I hope they are friendly!"

Master Hand's voice boomed from the teleporter room. "Brawlers! Welcome King Chrom, ruler of Ylisse!"

Chrom emerged from the teleporter at looked around his new surroundings. He was a bit amazed at the brawlers. Whoa, they seemed so... Different...

Ike slowly approached Chrom. He was a bit nervous. Chrom seemed to be very stern. "Erm, my name is Ike Greil." Ike greeted, trying not to sound nervous. "It's nice having you here."

Suddenly, Chrom began to walk around Ike, observing his appearance. The other brawlers held their breath. What was he doing? Was he judging Ike's personality by his status as a mercenary?

After a long awkward moment, Chrom looked into Ike's cobalt eyes and smiled. "It is nice to meet you, Ike."

The two Fire Emblem characters shook hands and Chrom greeted the other brawlers, who were as curious as innocent kittens.

A female mage with pigtails and garbed in an odd yellow dress exited the teleporter room and eyed Pikachu. "OHMYGOSH!" Lissa squealed loudly, hurrying to the famous yellow Pokemon. She suddenly took him into her arms and gave him a tight hug. "YOU'RE SO ADORABLE!"

Not expecting Lissa's surprising hug, the startled Pikachu's red cheeks began to spark with electricity. The mouse Pokemon accidentally electrocuted the happy-go-lucky mage without a warning. Some of the brawlers gasped in shock and backed away. Lissa shrieked in pain and fear and quickly ran behind Chrom for protection.

"Chrom!" she whispered frightfully. "That yellow mouse attacked me!"

"That's because you scared it!" Chrom sternly whispered back.

"Oh." Lissa peered at Pikachu, who carefully looked back. "I'm sorry." she softly whispered. Pikachu gave the mage a forgiving smile and suddenly leaped into Lissa's arms. "I guess you forgive me!" Lissa sang out happily, cuddling Pikachu.

The other Pokemon Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard, Lucario, and Jigglypuff glared at Pikachu and Lissa, their eyes full of envy. They wanted to get cuddled too! Squirtle suddenly exclaimed his name and jumped onto Lissa, followed by the other shouting Pokemon. Chrom smirked to himself as he watched Charizard lunge onto Lissa and his Pokemon pals, who exclaimed at him to stop. It looked like Lissa got her hands full!

Lucas, Ness, Nana, Popo, and Toon were chatting to each other when a mysterious dark mage approached them. He had a smile so unbelievably cheery, it was almost creepy to the innocent kids.

"Hey little children, do you want some candy?" Henry creepily asked, taking out five small chocolate candy bars. He held it in front of the children.

The five child brawlers cautiously looked at Henry with wary eyes. Could they trust him? He seemed cryptic and ominous...

The kids were about to scurry away when a blond-haired swordsman stopped them. "Everything does not seem what it seems. Don't fret, he won't hurt a fly!"

"Really?" Ness asked doubtfully. "How can we trust you?"

"This man is my father." Owain answered. "If he was disruptive as an earthquake, I would not crease to be standing here."

"Okay..." Lucas shyly replied. The children carefully took Henry's offered candy.

Marth was standing on his tippy toes, trying to look over his fellow brawlers' heads. When the crowd first saw Chrom, they immediately rushed towards him and bombed him with questions, thus separating Marth from his friends.

The bluenette prince saw Frederick and Emmeryn cautiously exit the teleporter room. They took notice of Mr. Game & Watch and ROB and curiously approached them. What were these things? Emmeryn set a gentle hand on ROB's head and giggled when Mr. Game & Watch began to circle her and Frederick. The 2-D character's movements were a bit funny to her.

Marth smiled to himself. These new Fire Emblem characters seemed so interesting and friendly! Eying Chrom, who was laughing with Ike, Link, and Princess Zelda, the Prince of Altea hesitantly crept towards him to introduce himself.

_And that was when the whole world began to collapse on Marth._

At that moment, a girl who was about Marth's age walked out and stood by Chrom's side. She had long navy blue hair, matching blue eyes, and was garbed in blue. A gold tiara sat neatly on her head, indicating everyone that she was part of royal blood. Marth awkwardly looked at her. She looked familiar...

Chrom saw his daughter and gasped quickly. "Everyone!" he shouted over the noisy crowd, instantly silencing them. Marth timidly stood in the shadows, feeling nervous. "I want to introduce you to my daughter Lucina!" Lucina smiled at the crowd.

"Doesn't she look like Marth?" Toon whispered to Nana.

"Yeah!" Nana softly piped up.

"If it weren't for her, the future of my kingdom would've been at sake." Chrom continued. "She traveled from the future to prevent the fated tragedies that led to Ylisse's downfall."

"That's awesome!" Roy exclaimed. He motioned Pit to follow him and the two young teens shoved their way through the crowd towards Lucina. "Hi, my name is Roy!" Roy greeted with a beaming grin. "And this is my friend Pit!"

"It's really nice to meet you." Lucina replied with a smile, shaking Roy's and Pit's hands.

An empty feeling began to swirl in Marth heart as he watched Lucina happily talk to Ike, Link, Roy, and Pit. He began to feel a bit lonely. Building up the courage to introduce himself to Lucina, Marth was about to head towards her when he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder. He cautiously turned around and saw Ganondorf and Bowser glare into his soft blue eyes.

"Hey Marth, we want to talk to talk to you privately." Ganondorf said, his hazel eyes gleaming with the will to harm.

* * *

Ganondorf and Bowser led Marth to the backyard and cornered him against a wall. Marth was a bit terrified. What did they want from him?! Were they going to beat him up for their malicious amusement?

"W-What do you need?" Marth uneasily asked the two antagonists.

"Oh, nothing." Ganondorf answered. Marth shivered at the low tone of the King of Evil's voice. "We just want to warn you about Lucina."

"What about her?" Marth softly asked, a bit confused. "She never do anything to us!"

"Look, she looks exactly like you!" Bowser explained loudly. "She's a clone of you!"

"So?" Marth questioned, his voice rising.

"Just to warn you, she might replace you!" Bowser added before he and Ganondorf left Marth alone with an evil chuckle.

Marth looked down at the ground with a sad sigh. They might be right, but he mustn't assume and jump to conclusions! He needed to give Lucina some time! Also, he didn't fully know her. Ignoring what Ganondorf and Bowser just said, Marth hurried back into the Smash Mansion.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Guys, guys! What if Lucina is a reincarnation of Marth?! O_O **

**Here's the introduction to the new Fire Emblem characters! I'm already done with the 3rd chapter and nearly finished with the 4th chapter. So expect very quick updates, haha!**

**For the poll, the Link and Villager fanfic (Including a guest vote) has the most votes. The Fox, Falco, and Sonic fanfic has the second most votes. I'm going to keep the poll up for a couple days. If you hadn't voted yet, please take a look at my poll! =) **

**Story Questions:**

**Ok, this has been bothering me for a few days. Do you think this fanfic should be a crossover fanfic, since it has characters not from SSBB? **

**How do you think Marth's birthday is going to effect the story? **

**Do you think one of the new Fire Emblem characters share Marth's birthday? If so, who? **


	3. Chapter 3: The Puddle's Words

Marth found his friends talking to Lucina in the cafeteria. He took a small bag of cookies and a little milk carton and was about to sit down in his usual spot next to Ike, when he noticed Lucina sitting in **his** seat. Ike, Link, Pit, and Roy kept their eyes on her, seemingly not noticing Marth. Usually when someone else was sitting in Marth's seat, Ike would ask Roy to get another seat for the prince. However, Ike kept his eyes on Lucina. Was he attracted to her? Knowing that it was impolite to interrupt a conversation, Marth just sat in a nearby table and eavesdropped the conversation.

"What do you think of the mansion so far?" Pit asked.

"I like it." Lucina answered. "Everyone is very friendly."

"Just to warn you, not everyone is nice." Link spoke up. He pointed to the tale where Ganondorf, Bowser, Wario, and Wolf were sitting. They were laughing wickedly at something. "These guys are very nasty. They like to pick on people."

"I can tell." Lucina scowled.

All of a sudden, Toon and Lucas scurried into the cafeteria, giggling happily. They were playing a hide-and-seek game with Ness, Henry, and the Ice Climbers.

"Is Henry or Ness coming?" Lucas quietly asked Toon.

Toon picked up a sound with his pointy ears. "I think they are coming! Let's hide!"

Ganondorf gazed at Toon with resentment. He never liked the little Hylian. With a growl, he abruptly grabbed Toon, lifted him off the floor, and snarled, "I know a good hiding place! It's known as out the window!"

Link was about to stomp towards Ganondorf and stop the Gerudo King from tossing Toon out the window when Lucina suddenly rose from her seat, rushed towards Ganondorf, and sternly ordered, "Put him down immediately!"

"Why should I?" Ganondorf scorned. Toon and Lucas could only helplessly watch.

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Lucina answered coldly. "If you want to pick on someone, pick on someone your size!"

"Fine, fine." Ganondorf dropped Toon and the two kids raced away.

After keeping a sharp eye on Ganondorf, Lucina went back to her seat. Marth was greatly amazed. Usually, when he was picked on by Bowser and his friends, he needed someone to defend him due to his passive nature. Lucina however, was as assertive as a punch in the stomach.

"I can't believe you managed to do that!" Link exclaimed with a beaming smile. "When I try to stop Ganondorf from doing something, we would either get into a huge argument or fight!"

"It's nothing really." Lucina replied calmly.

"Hey Lucina," Roy spoke up, eying a sword that hung in Lucina's belt. "How skilled are you with a sword?"

"I think I'm decent." Lucina answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Today in the afternoon, I'm having a double match." Roy explained with an encouraging gleam in his eyes. "I don't have a partner yet. Do you want to be my partner? I really want to see your sword-fighting skills!"

"Are visitors allowed in matches?" Lucina asked curiously.

"Yeah, rarely!" Roy responded. "Let's go to Master Hand and ask him about it!"

Marth watched his friends quickly rise from their seats and hurry out of the cafeteria. The anguished prince bit on a cookie and sighed miserably. Roy was talking about being partners with him yesterday. Also, Ike said they he would ask the Hands about his birthday. Did they really forget that fast?

Lucas suddenly hurried into the cafeteria. He was being chased by Henry in a small game of tag. Marth smiled. The little blond always knew how to cheer something.

"Ryuka-kun, can I ask you something?" Marth asked when Lucas quickly hid behind him.

"Well... Sure!" Lucas answered with a sweet smile. "What—"

The two saw Henry rush into the cafeteria. Looking around, the dark mage spotted Lucas innocently peering at him from his hiding spot. "Ah-ha!" Henry exclaimed in triumph, hurrying towards Lucas. "I'll get you!"

"S-Sorry Marth, not now!" Lucas quickly whispered. He gave Henry a quick glare before racing away. "You won't catch me alive!"

Marth unhappily watched the two dash out of the cafeteria. Well... That conversation didn't last long...

Bowser saw Marth's saddened gleam in his narrowed eyes. "Hey Marth! C'mere!"

"Y-Yes?" Marth uneasily approached the antagonists.

"Don't say that we didn't warn you!" Bowser growled. "Lucina really replaced you!"

"R-Really?" Marth shakily asked. He slapped himself. "No! Well, maybe my friends—"

"Don't decline the fact!" Ganondorf interrupted loudly. "You're being a softie! You need to realize your so-called friends are ignoring you because they don't want you around!"

Marth's brows lowered in defense. "That's a lie! You just trying to put me down!"

"Maybe we are." Wario maliciously sneered. "But we are telling the truth. No one wants a friend who is quiet, shy, and always let people step on him like a doormat!"

"STOP IT!" Marth shrieked furiously. "My friends didn't abandon me!"

"I knew it." Wolf smugly whispered to Ganondorf. "He is literally a doormat!"

"I'm NOT a doormat!" Marth screeched. Tears began to fill his cerulean eyes.

"If you weren't, then your friends wouldn't have replaced you with Lucina!" Ganondorf said, enjoying tormenting the poor prince. All of his friends began to laugh with him.

"I can see why they like her better than you." Bowser rudely remarked. "Lucina's assertive, can speak better English—"

Marth couldn't take those insults anymore. As the antagonists crackled evilly at his suffering, he quickly dashed out of the cafeteria. He didn't care if the passing brawlers gave him strange looks or wondered what happened. All he wanted to do it get away from Bowser and his friends.

Outside, the once-sunny sky was covered with gloomy clouds. Marth hurried outside the backyard as fast as he can, panting violently for air. Unable to hold in his overwhelming emotions and exhaustion, he collapse onto the grass and began to sob hysterically.

A small raindrop plucked on the distressed prince's head. He looked up and watched more raindrops plummet down the dark sky. Maybe Bowser and the others were right, he wondered. He was too gentle, too kind, too quiet... Too everything to be exact.

Before Altea was attacked, Marth's father Cornelius tried to make his son assertive. He disapproved of Marth's gentleness and tranquility because, he felt that it was a sign of weakness and an insult to their mighty ancestor, Anri. However, no matter how many times his father complained, Marth remained quiet and softhearted. He felt no one liked a callous, merciless person.

"Oto-san, I'm sorry that I didn't listen..." Marth shakily said to himself.

Marth weakly rose and began to head back to the mansion, not wanting to catch a cold. On his way, he passed a puddle and froze in shock. Something did not look right. With a raised eyebrow of doubt, Marth looked at the puddle again.

Instead of seeing a teenage bluenette with matching blue eyes look back, Marth saw a mysterious stranger ghostly gaze in his eyes. The stranger nearly looked identical to him, only that his hair was black, his eyes were a scarlet red, his skin was as white as paper, and his tiara was silver not gold. To most people, his blood-red eyes were filled with dread and vengefulness however, they were filled with sympathy to Marth.

"W-Who are you?" Marth asked quietly, looking into the stranger's eyes.

"Marth, I am you." the stranger answered. "Don't let Bowser and his friends put you down like that. Gather your friends! Tell them what happened! They will help you!"

Marth thought for a while and swallowed uneasily. "I... I don't have friends. They left me... They r-replaced me with someone else! They forgot about my birthday!"

The stranger scoffed haughtily to himself. "They must've been using you! They were stepping on you like a doormat!"

"What do I do now?" Marth sniffed as he trembled. "I don't have a place to stay. I can't go back to Altea for now..."

"Start a new life." the stranger answered. "If nobody wants you here, then why should you stay? Leave!"

"Are you sure?" Marth piped up uneasily. He was a bit unsure on this idea. "Is it going to be easy?"

"Yeah!" the stranger smiled cockily. "It will be easy! You're a prince after all!"

Marth wiped his tears and began to walk back into the mansion. Although his hair, cape, and clothes were soaked in freezing water, he didn't care. The stranger in the puddle was right! Why should he stay at the Smash Mansion if people saw him as a pawn and throw him away whenever they don't need him anymore? His life could not be just a cheap pawn!

As he quickly headed towards his room, Marth passed by the Hands' office and heard excited chatting. He looked quickly and saw his joyful friends talking to Lucina.

"Awesome!" Pit exclaimed happily to Lucina. "You and Roy are going to be in a match against Bowser and Ganondorf!"

Marth sadly smiled and hurried away. "Good job, Rukina-chan..." he mumbled unhappily to himself. He was glad that Lucina had found her niche in the Smash Mansion.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm making Lucina look like the bad guy, am I? **

**I'm finished with chapter 4, so that's going to be uploaded tomorrow! I did not get started on chapter 5 because, I would like my readers to take a look at chapter 4 first and determine what should happen next. As for the poll, the Fox, Falco, and Sonic fanfic has the most votes. I'm still keeping the poll up. Oh yeah, I was really bored and I got started on the Link/Villager fanfic. If I feel brave, I may upload the first chapter. What do you say, guys? **

**Story Questions: **

**Had your friends ever completely ignored you for some reason? **

**Do you think Marth's "friends" stepped on him like a doormat?**

**What was the stranger in the puddle? **

**Do you think Marth will have a difficult time living on his own? **


	4. Chapter 4: The Bluebird's Flight

Once when he was in his room, Marth locked the door behind him, lied down on his bed, and began to plot a devious plan. Although the sound of raindrops plucking on the roof usually made it difficult for him to concentrate, oddly it made him quickly brainstorm some ideas.

Marth's room wasn't like a prince's. It had a bed sitting in the corner next to the window. A small desk stood next to it. The bookshelves, which were lined on the walls, held thick-covered books, manga books, a few art supplies, a few stuffed pushies, and a music box that played the Fire Emblem theme song. There was a door leading to the bathroom and a closet filled with Marth's clothes. A long mirror stood by the closet.

Marth knew it needed to get a job. He knew that everything in the world is not free. But, what job should he apply for? Nah, that didn't matter! The only thing that mattered was getting paid! He just needed enough money to pay for food and water!

Where should he stay? He could not just live in the streets. That would be dreadfully uncomfortable and increase his chances of getting found by the other brawlers. Should he sneak into someone's house? No, he would be trespassing! Maybe he can stay in a hotel. Wait, staying at a hotel costs lots of money! In frustration, Marth sighed loudly, sat up, and looked out of his window at the neighboring buildings. Some of the buildings were old due to being unused for years. An idea flickered in Marth's mind. Maybe he could sneak into one of the buildings and live there! He and his army back in Altea did that, so it could not be trespassing!

Lastly, Marth could not walk around the streets of Tokyo dressed in his trademark blue tunic, cape, armor, and gold tiara. If someone from the Smash Mansion saw him, he would recognize him and take him back to the Smash Mansion as soon as possible with no explanations. Also like most of the male brawlers, Marth had a lot of fans. They would swarm around him if they catch a glimpse of him!

Marth got off his bed and began to rummage through his closet for any casual clothes. A velvet dark-blue tuxedo caught his eyes. No... It was too fancy. Marth eyed his swimming trunks sitting in the ground. No way! He was NOT going to walk around wearing that! The Altean prince shook his head and continued to look.

After searching through his closet for five minutes, Marth finally decided on a light-blue turtleneck shirt, long aqua jeans, a sky-blue hooded jacket, and black shoes. He stripped off his princely clothing, neatly set them in the closet, dressed in the shirt, jeans, and shoes. With a small grin, he looked at himself in the mirror. His soft smile fell. Even in casual clothing, people could still recognize him.

Marth got a great idea. He went into his bathroom and opened the sink's cabinet. It contained a bottle of cold medicine, a box full of bandages, a large comb, and a bottle of black hair spray. Marth took the comb and hair spray out. First, he took off his tiara and parted his straight blue hair in the middle. His bangs were combed to the side, revealing his timid, cerulean blue eyes. Next, he sprayed his hair with the hair dye, turning it completely black like the night sky. Marth tucked some of his hair underneath the turtleneck and looked at the mirror again. A typical young man with black hair and narrow blue eyes looked back.

Although the majority of brawlers probably could not recognize him, Marth felt that something was missing. He didn't like how his squinty eyes looked, now that his bangs weren't covering it. The prince eyed a pair of black-rimmed glasses sitting on his bed stand. He went towards it, put them on, and looked at the mirror once again. The same young man gazed at him, only that the glasses made his shy eyes look bigger. Marth grinned to himself. This disguise was perfect.

A smile crept across his face before it fell. His eyes wandered onto the gold tiara held in his hand. With a careless scoff, Marth went towards a garbage can sitting next to the desk and dumped the tiara in it.

Marth packed essential items in a backpack. It included bandages, a wallet full of money, a flashlight, two bottles of water, and snacks. When he was finished, Marth began to think of a quick plan to escape. He could not just exit the mansion through the front door! The other brawlers would notice him!

Putting on his hood, Marth opened the window and carefully climbed onto the roof. The rain pelted in his face. He nervously looked down at the front yard, which seemed to be a hundred feet below. No, he could not turn back! This could not wait for tomorrow! Anxiously swallowing his fear, Marth cautiously slid down a rain gutter. His feet lightly tapped the moist grass. The prince looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Sure that no one saw him, he hurried towards the black iron gates and carefully unlocked them. He glanced back at the Smash Mansion before hurrying down the streets.

* * *

Roy and Lucina had just finished their match against Bowser and Ganondorf. Although they fought hard with all their might, they were defeated by the tyrannical Koopa and Gerudo.

"Well, that was exciting." Lucina spoke with a weary smile.

"Y-Yeah." Roy cheerfully spoke back. "I hope you had fun!"

"I did!"

The redhead and bluenette met with Ike, Link, and Pit, who were waiting for them in the foyer.

"You guys did a great job!" Pit commented with a grin. "Even though you didn't win!"

"Why, thanks." Lucina replied cooly.

Ike suddenly thought of a question. "Hey Lucina, why did Master Hand invite you, your family, and friends to visit the Smash Mansion?"

"To be honest, we were the ones who asked to come here." Lucina explained. "Father wanted to celebrate my birthday here, which is in a few days."

"How come?" Link asked. He was interested.

"We heard that Marth Lowell currently resides here." Lucina answered. "We dearly want to meet him because, he is our ancestor. He was the main building block in the foundation of Ylisse."

"Interesting..." Roy slightly understood why Lucina looked similar to Marth. "Is your birthday in four days?"

"Yes, why did you ask?" Lucina replied curiously.

"Awesome!" Roy exclaimed. "You share Marth's birthday!"

Lucina smiled a bit. "Where's Marth? I would like to meet him."

A small sweat drop rolled down Ike's, Link's, Roy's, and Pit's head. To be honest, they were not paying any attention to him. "Oh, well..." Ike uneasily spoke up. "When we met you, we accidentally... Left Marth out."

"Oh." Lucina replied emotionlessly.

"He's probably in his room." Roy spoke up. "Back in the Melee Tournament, whenever he is unhappy, Marth always sulks in his room."

"Let's go to his room and apologize to him." Pit said with a small smile.

The five arrived at the entrance of Marth's room. Ike gently yet loudly knocked on the door. "Marth, can we come in?" he loudly asked.

There was no response. Darn, Marth must be VERY upset at them.

"We're coming in." Ike said again, opening the door.

Strangely, Marth was not inside. The open window let freezing air in, making the room as cold as the Ice Climber's Final Smash. The rain violently rattled on the roof.

"That's strange..." Roy softly said, walking into Marth's room. He looked in the bathroom. "Marth?"

Link checked in the closet, thinking that the prince was hiding in there. "No, he's not in here."

"Why did he leave the window open?" Pit asked out loud as he shut the window.

Lucina was looking around and admiring Marth's room, when something sparkling in the trash can caught her eyes. "What's this?" she curiously asked, taking the gold tiara out of the trash.

"That's Marth's tiara!" Roy exclaimed in shock.

"Why did he dump it in the trash?" Pit asked. "He really values it!"

"I don't know..." Link said, scratching his head in confusion.

A horrid thought struck Ike like a truck. Wait, if he and the others accidentally "abandoned" Marth, then he must've felt upset! No, he could not be that sensitive! He was not that stupid to do such a thing. Ike hurried towards the window and looked out. To his agony, he saw the two gates squeaking noisily as the blowing wind opened and shut both of them repeatedly. The Hands replaced the old, rusty lock last week! If they were unlocked, that means someone must've done it!

"Oh no!" Ike shouted as blood drained from his face.

"What's wrong?" Roy asked. He went by Ike's side, looked out the window, and gasped. "Oh crap!"

The others hurried to the window and jumped at the sight. Lucina's calm blue eyes widened in shock, Link's pointy ears drooped in bewilderment, and Pit's wings tensed up.

"Marth ran away!" Ike finally managed to nervously answer.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Marth, do you know that in this world, living in an abandoned building is considered to be trespassing? **

**Decided to upload chapter 4 early. Now, I'm going to wait for a while before starting chapter 5 because I'm having trouble deciding what should happen next. I'm unsure if Marth should attempt getting a job or just keep on running around in Tokyo away from the Smash Mansion. By the way, the Fox/Falco/Sonic fanfic still has the most votes. The Link/Villager story and Roy/Eliwood/Nergal is tied. As for the Pit/G&W story, it has the least votes. **

**Story Question:**

**Why do you think Marth threw his tiara in the trash can? **

**How would you react if one of your friends suddenly ran away? **

**(Answer if you think Marth should successfully get a job): What job should Marth get? (Try to think of jobs that pay minimum wedge and are terrible for shy, timid people.**

**(Answer if you think Marth should not get a job and keep on running away from the Smash Mansion): What dangers could Marth run into? **


	5. Chapter 5: The Open Birdcage

Ike felt multiple emotions rush through his pounding heart. He felt anger directly accusing himself rushing through his veins. A wave of despair began to fill his wide cobalt eyes. Regret caused him to freeze like a stature as he thought over his careless actions. Marth must have felt distraught and lonely! That was definitely why he ran away!

Roy was greatly startled by the sight. At that moment, he remembered talking to Marth yesterday about being partners with him in his double match. Did Marth really wanted to be in a tag team with him, he wondered. Although he knew the Altean prince since the Melee Tournament, he did not know that Marth was this sensitive. Whenever something did not go his way, the prince would just keep his mouth shut and not complain about it. He was like an overflowing cup of water.

Even though he had a reputation of being fearless, Link was dreadfully terrified for Marth's safety. He quickly remembered the kidnapping incident involving Roy. The Hylian's azure eyes became as wide as saucers when he looked behind him for a second and saw the Falchion leaning against a bookshelf. Marth could not defend himself without a sword. He was vulnerable against the dangers lurking in the outside world.

Pit began to feel an awful, lonely feeling twisting in his stomach. Because he did not have actual parents, the angel needed all of his friends together to provide him a sense of belonging. He could let his friends leave him out of a conversation and not feel terrible because, he knew his friends were doing fine. However in this situation, Marth was out in the open, facing lethal dangers. Pit did not feel the same sense of belonging because one of the most important pieces of the puzzle was missing.

Lucina was greatly disappointed. She dearly wanted to meet her ancestor so she could learn more about him and the past. Her wish to see Marth was like an unfulfilled dream; at first she thought she could reach it however, it suddenly fluttered out of her hand.

"C-Crap…" Roy managed to say nervously as he tried to keep cool. "W-What do we do? Tell the Hands or look for Marth?"

Lucina forced an uneasy smile. "W-Well, he might be somewhere in the mansion." she said, trying to cheer her newfound friends up. "This place is really big!"

"You might be right." Link replied, his ears perking up in hope. "Why don't we look around the mansion first?"

"Sure!" Pit piped up.

"Link and I will check the backyard." Ike said as he felt faith filling his heart. "What about you guys?"

"Lucina, I think you should come with Pit and me." Roy replied. "You don't really know your way around the mansion, so you can get lost."

"We will look inside the mansion." Pit said with an optimistic grin. "Hopefully, we can find him."

The five split up and started their search for Marth. Pit, Roy, and Lucina were looking in the library. Whenever Marth needed a break from social contact, he would go to the library and read an interesting novel. The three looked behind every shelf and Marth's favorite seat, which was a small sofa next to a window. Next, they searched the cafeteria. Maybe Marth was hungry! Roy and Pit looked underneath every table and Lucina asked every brawler if they had seen Marth. However, they still could not find him, much to their agony.

Link and Ike were in the backyard. It was still raining violently, so they did not stay outside for long. During that time, Link was climbing on every tree, wondering if Marth was hiding up there. Ike was shouting Marth's name through the pattering raindrops.

"Maaaarth!" Ike yelled as rainwater pattered on his lavender umbrella. "Marth! Where are you?!"

"Nope, he's not here!" Link called to Ike as he climbed down a tree. The Hylian was completely drenched in freezing water. "Did you see him?"

"N-No." Ike trembled wildly, feeling cold and a bit terrified. "Let's go back! Maybe Pit, Roy, and Lucina had better luck!"

The five met in the mansion's foyer.

"We couldn't find him." Link spoke sadly. "How about you guys?"

"Same here." Pit answered with an unhappy gleam in his eyes. Lucina and Roy nodded in union.

"We need to tell the Hands!" Ike said fretfully. "Things couldn't get any worst!"

"Don't worry!" Roy piped up with an encouraging smile. "The Hands will call the police, the police will find Marth, and everything will be okay!"

* * *

In the office, the Hands were busily typing passwords and quickly answering emails on their computer. Their job was not only providing a home for the brawlers and assign matches, but also allowing visitors to enter the Smash Mansion. All of the teleporters were controlled by a single program installed in Master Hand's computer, so none of the brawlers could flee to their homeland and an unwelcomed visitor cannot interfere with the tournament. The only times the brawlers were allowed to leave to their home was when the tournament was over or something has happened in their homeland. Friends and family of the brawlers were allowed to visit at any time; they just needed approval from the Hands.

Usually, it took the Hands only a few seconds to decide whether they should allow a visitor to arrive at the Smash Mansion. However, because a certain Altean prince's birthday was coming, the Hands got millions of emails from almost all of the Fire Emblem characters asking whether they could arrive at the mansion early. It was horrendous and time-consuming for the Hands. The mansion could only occupy so many people!

"Should we allow Lilina, Wolt, Eliwood, and Marcus to drop in?" Crazy Hand quickly asked his older brother as mail spammed in his inbox.

"Yes!" Master Hand speedily answered. "They are Roy's closest friends! We can trust them! Also, tell the Greil Mercenaries that they are allowed to enter! They are arriving at the mansion tomorrow!"

"Y-Yes!" Crazy Hand typed a few passwords into the program. "What the- Princess Elincia wants to bring all of her soldiers!"

"Say that she can come but, the soldiers cannot!" Master Hand nervously replied. He looked at his computer screen. "Let's see… Elice, Caeda, and Merric are arriving a day before Marth's birthday… Wait, Medeus wants to come?! No! Either he wants to ruin this special event or that was a troll!"

Ike, Link, Pit, Roy, and Lucina hurried into the office. "Hands, something terrible has happened!" Ike worriedly exclaimed.

"What is it?" Crazy Hand asked as he typed another passcode on his keyboard.

"Marth has gone missing!" Ike answered breathlessly.

This startling sentence caused Master Hand to jolt back in udder shock and Crazy Hand to accidentally slam his computer screen off his desk. The two stopped typing on their keyboards for a long, single minute.

"Are you s-sure he's gone?" Crazy Hand unsteadily asked as he set his computer screen back onto his desk.

"Yes, he is gone." Link sternly answered. "We checked everywhere in the mansion."

"Also, the gate was slightly opened!" Lucina added.

"This is a tragic disaster…" Master Hand mumbled loudly.

"Are you going to call the police?" Pit asked.

"We would, but we are too busy answering emails!" Crazy Hand answered restlessly.

"Why don't we go to the police station and report the police of the incident?" Roy suggested.

"G-Great idea!" Master Hand replied hurriedly. He hastily opened a file cabinet and took out a file containing Marth's personal information and gave it to Ike. "Show this to the police. Be careful and don't lose it! It contains very important information about Marth."

"Will do, Hands!" Link said, giving them a quick wink.

"Oh yes," Master Hand spoke before returning to his work. "Lucina, we prohibit you from leaving the outskirts of the mansion. This is your first time visiting here and we don't want to lose you in Tokyo."

"I understand." Lucina replied coolly. "Do you want me to let everyone know of the news?"

"Yes." Crazy Hand answered.

Without another word, Lucina turned and left the office to alert the others of Marth's disappearance. The remaining brawlers watched the Hands quickly get back to work and exited the office.

"I wonder how's Marth…" Pit quietly spoke up as Ike opened his large umbrella.

The mercenary opened the front door and the four went outside into the rapid rainstorm. "I h-hope he's doing fine." Ike replied with a worried look. "It's a scary world out there… I don't really know how this world works."

"Do you think he's really mad at us?" Pit asked again.

"Not really." Roy answered. "Marth tends to get sad when he's upset."

"Let's hurry." Link said with a determined shine in his eyes. "The sooner we report the incident to the police, the sooner Marth will be found!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Ike, you should never ever say "Things could not get any worst."... **

**Surprisingly, I managed to finish this chapter early. I was about to add more things in this chapter, but I decided to save it for the next chapter. Hopefully, I'm not annoying my readers with these quickly-uploaded chapters, updating too fast, and making the chapters seemed rushed. haha! XD After this chapter, the story will get more exciting. **

**I currently closed the next fanfic poll and opened a new one. It's asking whether if Marth should get a job or keep on running. Either of them will greatly affect the plot of the story, so please vote! **

**Story Questions:**

**Even though he still has Ike, Link, and Roy, why do you think Pit feels lonely without Marth?**

**Do you think it was necessary for Marth to run away? **

**(You don't need to answer this question)**

**Why do you think Marth should get a job/keep on running? **


	6. Chapter 6: Drops of Worry

Tokyo's police station was several blocks away from the Smash Mansion. Once in a while, Ike and his friends would pass by it. However, they only saw the outside of the building. The station was a large brick building with looming glass doors and small windows. Right above the doors were large bronze letters that spelled "Tokyo Police". Usually on a sunny day, policemen and people of all sizes were seen entering and exiting the station.

The four brawlers walked up the drenched stone steps. Ike hurriedly shook water off his umbrella before entering the building. What they saw inside was quite an experience. Citizens were sitting at tables, talking to their lawyers. Busy workers, who were carrying many files, were hurrying into rooms. Ike, Link, Pit, and Roy could only awkwardly stand and watch their demanding surroundings.

"Err… What do we do?" Pit asked. Ike just shrugged his shoulders.

A male policeman, who was about to enter his office, took notice of the brawlers. He hurried towards them and asked, "Do you guys need any assistance?"

"Yes, we do." Link answered.

"Come with me." The policeman made a hand motion for the brawlers to follow.

The policeman's office was a bit large. It had two chairs in front of a desk, which had a cup of pens, a large notebook, and a stack of papers sitting on it. A wall clock ticked nervously. Since there were only two chairs, Pit and Roy needed to stand up. They let Link and Ike take the seats because, the Hylian and Crimean were much mature than they were and they were the ones explaining Marth's case.

"Let me introduce ourselves." Ike said, trying to sound formal. "We are brawlers from the Smash Mansion. You might've heard about us."

"I had." The policeman replied with a smile. He curiously eyed the four with interest. "If I know correctly, you're Ike, you're Link, you're Pit, and you're Roy."

"Correct." Link responded with a small grin. His smile fell back to a stern expression. "Let's get back to the topic, please."

"So, what seems to be the problem?" The policeman asked.

Ike set the file down on the desk, opened it, and showed the policeman a profile picture of Marth. The prince had a timid smile and a naïve gleam in his innocent, cerulean eyes, which were covered by his blue bangs. As he looked at the carefree picture of Marth, tears of guilt began to swell in Ike's remorseful eyes. He could not believe Marth actually ran away.

"This is Marth Lowell." Ike explained, blinking away his tears. "He is another brawler. This afternoon, he suddenly went missing."

"We looked everywhere," Link continued sadly, his pointy ears drooping slightly. "and we couldn't find him. We figured that he ran away from home."

"Admittedly, Marth hasn't been given a lot of attention." Roy confessed regretfully. "He must've felt unneeded."

"I see…" The policeman softly mumbled.

"We need you and your coworkers' help!" Pit desperately begged. "Please! We miss him!"

The policeman browsed through Marth's background information. He placed the profile picture and a few papers in a copier machine, making an identical copy of the documents.

"The whole police department would search for him," he began in a sad tone. The brawlers' eyes sparkled in hope for a quick second. "if we have enough time."

"What do you mean?" Pit asked worriedly.

"In the last couple weeks, crime rates have increased rapidly, mainly in the poorer, suburban areas of Tokyo." The policeman sternly explained. "The law enforcement agency had to solve baffling murder cases, rape instances, kidnappings, and thievery. We currently have a great amount of unresolved criminalities."

"Will you still look for Marth?" Link asked uneasily.

"Yes however, it will not be one of our top priorities." The policeman calmly answered.

"It's not a top priority?!" Roy suddenly exclaimed in fury, unable to contain his nervousness. "Marth has no clue how to survive on his own! Who knows?! He might be in danger now!"

"Calm down Roy!" Link ordered strictly. Roy sighed in frustration. "When are you guys going to search for Marth?"

"As soon as possible." The policeman responded. "Once when we find him, we will immediately take custody of him and call the Smash Mansion."

Ike gathered up the files. "Thank you sir, for lending your assistance." he thanked, forcing a small smile.

The policeman hopefully smiled back. It was not a fake smile; it actually looked real. "You're welcome. Don't worry, we will find Marth."

* * *

Ike, Link, Pit, and Roy were walking back to the Smash Mansion. Even though the pattering rain calmed down a bit, the sky was still covered by hopeless black clouds. The depressing weather perfectly matched the brawlers' gloomy moods. They were glad to know that the police were willing to look for their lost friend. However, they still felt helpless because, they were expecting the police to immediately start their search.

"Well, we let the police know of Marth's disappearance." Pit spoke up, hoping to cheer up his friends. "All we need to do is wait for the news."

"I felt that we were talking to a blank wall!" Roy remarked, still feeling a bit angry. "Searching for Marth isn't a top priority?! They don't know how serious this situation is!"

"I understand your feelings, Roy." Link replied. "But, we can't let everything go our way all the time." Ike sniffed loudly, making Link look at him in worry. "Ike, what's wrong?" he asked.

"T-This..." Ike shakily said as tears began to fill his eyes. "T-T-This is all my fault, isn't it?"

"No, Ike." Roy answered with a small encouraging smile. "It's no one's fault."

"Still, I should've known Marth felt lonely!" Ike protested as he blamed himself. "Why? He's the first person I met in the Brawl Tournament! I did everything to protect him! And now, I neglected him..." Tears ran down Ike's face, just like how the raindrops plunged from the sky. He failed to hide his anguish.

"You didn't." Pit replied, trying to soothe the mercenary. "You just wanted to make Lucina feel welcomed, along with the rest of us.

Pit's statement did not help. It only made Ike cry harder. "I made Marth run away!" Ike choked through his stinging tears. "I'm the one who should be responsible, not you guys!"

"No one caused Marth to run away!" Roy piped up, trying to stop Ike's hysterical sobbing. "Marth just overreacted and did something he would never do! Ok?"

Link gave the Ike a huge, warm hug, hoping that it would make him feel better. Instead of calming down, Ike buried his face into Link's shoulder and sobbed harder. Whenever Ike felt troubled and depressed, Marth would give him a hug. Link's embrace only reminded him of how Marth soothed him, making him feel guiltier of abandoning the person who always stood up for him.

"Ike, if Marth saw you like this, how would he feel?" Roy asked.

Ike began to gulp for air. "He would feel upset." he gasped softly.

"Do you want Marth to be upset?" Roy asked again. Ike shook his head no. "Then stop blaming yourself." Ike nodded yes and forced a smile.

* * *

Back at the Smash Mansion, all of the brawlers crowded in the cafeteria and helped themselves to a mouthwatering dinner. The menu consisted of mashed potatoes with gravy, some steamed vegetables, spaghetti with meat sauce, and chicken strips. Usually, Ike would pile as much grub onto his plate, hurry to his table with his friends, and shove the tasty food into his mouth like if there was no tomorrow. The Crimean had one of the most humongous appetites in the Smash Mansion, fifth to Yoshi, King Dedede, Wario, and Kirby. Today however, Ike just took a small bit of mashed potatoes and two chicken strips. He sadly looked at Marth's empty seat and played with his food as his friends ate. The other brawlers were gossiping about Marth's disappearance.

"Ike, aren't you going to eat your food?" Pit softly asked.

Ike shrugged his shoulders and frowned. "I'm not hungry..." he mumbled.

At that moment, Bowser and Wario went to Ike's table. The two villains were chuckling loudly at Ike's loss of appetite. "Hey, Ike!" Wario scoffed. "What's wrong? Meowth got your tongue and stomach?"

"Shut up..." Ike grumbled back. He forced himself to take a tiny bite of chicken strip.

"Hey..." Bowser said, eying an empty seat next to Link. "Someone's missing! Hey... Marth is gone!"

Roy glowered furiously at Bowser and Wario. "You said something to him, did you?" he scowled.

"Yeah!" Wario carelessly answered, taking his as a chance to harass the redhead. "We just told him that nobody wants him because he is a doormat."

"A DOORMAT!?" Roy lividly screamed, his navy-blue eyes widening in rage. "HE'S NOT A DOORMAT!"

"Calm down, Roy." Pit whispered. "You're giving them what they want!"

That did not calm Roy. Without warning, the lord suddenly lunged at Wario and tackled him to the ground. Wario tried to fight back however, the redhead was too quick. Roy was violently kicking and punching Wario as he screamed in fury. He was furious at Wario for hurting Marth's feelings.

This caused some of the brawlers to turn and watch. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Princess Peach were unsure whether they should cheer for Roy or feel sorry for Wario. Fox, Falco, and Captain Falcon stood up and chanted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" The three never liked Wario. Bowser could only stand and watch the brutal scene. Lucas and the Ice Climbers covered his eyes in fright while their playmates Toon and Ness wondered if they should try to stop the fight. Samus sighed unhappily and sipped her coffee. Kirby just awkwardly stared, not fully understanding what was happening.

"Roy, stop it!" Ike quickly got out of his seat and tried to pull Roy away from the fight, only to get shoved away. With a grunt, the mercenary tried again. He grabbed Roy by his thrashing arms and pulled him away, using all of his strength. Wario, who was badly bruised, took this as a chance to escape and hurried away. Bowser quickly trailed him.

Roy was struggling wildly in Ike's arms, trying to break free. "DARN IT, WARIO AND BOWSER!" he shrieked after the obese plumber. "IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT MARTH RAN AWAY! IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HIM, YOU GUYS ARE RESPONSIBLE!"

After yelling that hateful statement, Roy leaned against Ike's body and broke down into uncontrollable tears. Link got out of his seat, kneeled next to him, and gave him a gentle pat on his head. Pit could only look down unhappily.

* * *

That night, Link was sleeping soundly in his bed when a frightened cry abruptly jolted him awake. His ears perked up in anxiety when he heard another shout. That scream sounded like Pit! Without wasting a single second, Link hurriedly threw the heavy blankets off and dashed towards Pit's room.

He found the angel wildly thrashing and shouting in his sleep. White feathers clouded the air. The blanket slowly tumbled off his bed.

"M-Marth! No!" Pit exclaimed as he twitched crazily.

Link hurried towards Pit's bedside and quickly shook him awake. "Pit! Wake up!"

Pit's wide eyes snapped open. He anxiously glanced around his dark room and breathed heavily. "That... That was only a dream." he sighed in relief. He made eye contact with Link. "Thanks, Link."

"What were you dreaming?" Link asked worriedly.

Pit sadly looked down at his lap. "I dreamed that I was flying in Skyworld, looking for Marth. I found him at this floating island. He was standing at the edge of a cliff. I was really glad to see him and I quickly flew towards him. I said, 'Marth! I finally found you! Come back with me, Link, Ike, and Roy!'" Pit shook slightly in fear as he remembered the terrible nightmare.

"What happened next?" Link questioned.

"Marth screamed, 'I'm not coming back!' and he jumped off the cliff." Pit nervously continued. "I dived after him and try to catch him but, I wasn't fast enough. Marth hit the ground with a splat; there was blood everywhere, and... That's when you woke me up." Tears glittered in Pit's eyes as he concluded his story. "Link, I'm scared! What if something happened to Marth?"

"Let's just hope for the best." Link answered, trying to soothe the terrified angel.

"Sometimes, dreams come true!" Pit added shakily.

"Dreams are confusing." Link said, forcing a small smile. "They don't always seem what they look like."

"I see..." Pit responded softly.

"Hopefully, Marth did not venture towards the the southern part of Tokyo." Link mentioned. "I heard it's the unsafest part of Tokyo."

"Yeah..." Pit said, laying his head on the fluffy pillow.

Link gently ruffled Pit's brown hair. "Don't worry, eventually we'll find him. Goodnight."

"G'night." Pit replied quietly, shutting his eyes.

After watching the angel drift to sleep, Link silently exited his room.

* * *

In an abandoned building at the southern part of Tokyo, Marth dumped his backpack on the ground and looked out the window. The glowing moon was shining through the clustering clouds. In the distance, some of the buildings' lights flickered off as people got off work. The sound of cars swiftly zoomed by.

After fleeing from the Smash Mansion, Marth managed to sneak into an abandoned building via climbing up a drain pipe and entering through an open window. The room had furnitures covered in dusty tarps. A small light bulb hanging from the ceiling was the only source of light. An old mattress covered in newspapers sat under a boarded up window. The floor was as creaky as the Smash Mansion's staircase. There were two doors. One of them led to the hallway, another led to a small bathroom.

Marth jumped at the sound of booming thunder. He saw a bolt of lightning slice through the pitch-black sky. Rain began to plunge from the sky and patter rapidly on the roof. With a small sigh, Marth leapt onto the mattress, curled into a fetal position, and covered himself with the newspapers. He felt as weak as a newborn kitten.

All of a sudden, an empty feeling began to roll in Marth's stomach. At first, the lonely prince was confused. He was not hungry; he just ate some of his snacks. Marth let out a inaudible mewl as a shiver shot down his back. The newspapers did little to provide warmth. He missed his warm, comfy bed back at the Smash Mansion.

That as when the sudden fact struck. Marth was homesick.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Sorry Ike X Marth fans, but Ike and Marth are just very close friends! /gets trampled **

**I hope this long chapter makes up for the much shorter and boring chapter 4 and 5! Judging by the votes on my poll, Marth won't get a job; he will keep on wandering around Tokyo. Also judging by some reviews, I am NOT going to hint who's Chrom's wife and Lucina's mother. I don't want to cause a flame war. I'm somewhat annoyed by this. In one of my fanfics (Lone Flame), I managed to hint one of Roy's possible mother and that didn't cause a shipping war.**

**Story Questions: **

**What should happen in the next chapter?**

**Whose fault is it that causes Marth to run away. You can choose more than one characters. (Sorry that it is worded strangely.)**

**How do you react when someone you really dislike harasses your friends? **

**What is the meaning of Pit's nightmare? Do you think it is foreshadowing future events? **


	7. Chapter 7: Fake Sunlight

The sound of rainwater plucking down the rain gutter caused Marth to stir and awake from his pitch-black, dreamless sleep. With a small yawn, he sleepily looked out the window. It had stopped raining however, the clear sky was still covered by miserable clouds. Down the streets, a few cars quickly zipped by. A pedestrian with her two beloved children cautiously looked around her surroundings and hurried down the block, dragging her kids with her. Marth was a bit confused at the sight. Were the children late for school?

Marth got up, went to the small bathroom, and got ready for the day. After searching through the little mirror cabinet, he managed to find toothpaste and an old, dirty toothbrush. Marth suddenly choked. The brush was completely brown with indescribable goo. Well, it was better than nothing. Gathering up his small courage, Marth turned on the sink's faucet and tried to wash the icky slime away. He watched the brown substance swirl down the drain along with the crystal-clear water. Sure that the toothbrush was sparkly clean, Marth put some toothpaste on it and began to brush his teeth. It tasted like mint.

Then, he rinsed his mouth and splashed water on his face. The cool water caused his senses to slightly perk up. Marth wiped his face with his sleeve and looked in the mirror. He noticed that the water slightly washed some of the black dye out of his hair. However, it did not bother Marth that much because, it was nearly unnoticeable.

Marth decided to get something to eat from the nearby café. Putting on his backpack, Marth carefully stepped out of the window and slid down the pipe. Once when his feet lightly tapped the asphalt ground, he cooly walked down the alley. His stomach growled grumpily at him, making Marth jump slightly.

As Marth walked down the street, he saw a young man in his twenties carry a box full of necklaces into a jewelry store. Unbeknownst to him, an expensive-looking pearl necklace with a sapphire pendent slipped out of the box and landed on the ground with a small tap. The pendent's sparkling twinkle caught Marth's eyes.

"Excuse me, you dropped this." Marth quickly picked up the necklace and gave it to the man.

The man set down the boxes, brushed his brown hair out of his hazel eyes, and smiled kindly at Marth. "Thank you, sir." he thanked, taking the necklace from Marth. "Usually, people would just take it and run."

Marth looked at the jewelry store's window. He saw many prized jade necklaces, ruby and sapphire earrings, diamond rings, gold watches, and iridescent bracelets on display and a sign that read "Help wanted". "Do you work there?" Marth asked.

"Yeah, my Dad owns this store!" the man answered cheerfully. He turned to a man sitting behind a counter in the store and waved hello to him. "What is it? Do you want to work here?"

"Y-Yes!" Marth answered.

"I'll ask Dad about hiring you after when I finish unloading the truck and eat breakfast." The young man took Marth's right hand and shook it. "By the way, my name is Darwin. What's yours?"

Marth quickly thought of a fake name. "M-Mark." he answered, forcing a shy smile. "I'm going to the café for breakfast."

"Well, see you!" Darwin replied with a grin. He took the box and carried it into the store.

Marth smiled back, looked down the street, and saw the café at the end of the block. As he hurried towards the entrance and opened the door, a stranger rudely bumped into him.

"Hey, watch it!" the stranger shouted angrily.

Marth jumped in fright. "S-Sorry."

The café was completely different from the one near the Smash Mansion. Teenagers were loitering in the corner, chatting loudly. The males were dressed in leather jackets, baseball caps worn backwards, and baggy pants that seemed too big for them. The females were flowing sleeveless shirts that showed their cleavage and VERY short jeans. All of the teens were holding... Sticks with smoke emitting from its tips...? It smelled as rotten as rotten eggs. Marth was a bit shocked and disgusted at the lack of modesty and formality.

Marth shyly approached a man behind the bar. "What do you want?" the man scowled grumpily.

Trying not to look foolish, Marth pointed to the large blueberry muffins sitting in a display. "I want a muffin and a cup of tea."

The man took a muffin, set it on a paper plate, and poured a cup of tea. He dumped them on the counter in front of Marth's face and said, "The total's eight dollars."

With a nervous smile, Marth took his wallet out, picked out eight dollars, and gave it to the man, who impolitely snatched it from his hand and turned away. Wow, what was his problem? Marth took his small breakfast and hurried towards an empty seat.

* * *

Roy and his friends were sitting in the cafeteria, having breakfast. Normally, the five would discuss about today's events, rumors, and visitors. However, even talking felt awkward without Marth. The five just silently ate their breakfast, which consisted of scrambled eggs, pancakes, and bacon. Some of the other brawlers, mainly the villains, were chatting loudly with their friends, sounding like they did not care about Marth's disappearance. Others were just as silent as Ike, Link, Pit, and Roy.

"I hope the police found Marth." Pit finally said, unhappily playing with his scrambled eggs. "By now, he must be terrified!"

"Yeah..." Roy mumbled, blowing bubbles in his orange juice through a straw. "He must be really hungry!"

At that moment, Chrom, Lucina, and the shepherds approached them. All of them had a worried look. Lissa was tightly clutching Henry's arm for protection. Frederick expressionlessly gazed at the floor. Owain was quivering slightly. Emmeryn was trying hold back her tears. Chrom and Lucina could helplessly only look at Ike, Link, Roy, and Pit.

"What do you need?" Ike quietly asked. "Does it have something to do with Marth?"

"Yes." Chrom sternly answered. "We heard about yesterday's incident. I just want to ask you to find Marth as soon as possible."

"Yeah, Marth doesn't know how to live on his own!" Roy said, feeling slightly irritated.

"That's not all." Lucina added. She went closer to the five brawlers. "Look closely at me, and tell me what you see."

Link squinted his azure eyes and tried to see what Lucina was talking about. He blinked in disbelief. Surprisingly, he could see through her, like if she was just a ghost! What was this?! Were Chrom and his shepherds spirits all along?! Was this some kind of a prank?!

"Lucina!" Link exclaimed in shock, his ears twitching in disturbance. "I-I can see through you!" He took a quick glance at Chrom. "A-And you, Chrom! What's happening?

"If you forgotten already, most of us are descendants from Marth." Lucina sadly said. "Since he ran away and abandoned his duty of being the next ruler of his rebuilt kingdom, that means Ylisse was never founded. Marth never had any children."

"But, Marth has an older sister—" Pit was cut off by Frederick.

"Fool!" Frederick spoke coldly. "Chrom and his family descended from Marth's side of the family!" Pit began to shake a bit at the harsh statement.

Ike suddenly stood up from his seat with a determined gleam in his eyes. "Guys, we can't just wait for the police to find Marth! We need to take action and look for him!"

Link nodded in agreement. "I agree! If we let things be, something could happen!"

Roy and Pit grinned. "Let's start a search for Marth!" Pit exclaimed, causing some of the brawlers to look.

Out of interest, Mario, Samus, and Fox left their table and joined the conversation. "I-a have a plan!" Mario said. "We-a could start a search in-a Tokyo! Groups will-a be assigned at-a certain part of the city!"

"Great idea, Mario!" Link praised with a grin. "Marth can be hiding anywhere in Tokyo!"

"We should also put some lost posters in the city." Samus suggested. "That way, other people can help with our search." Ike nodded in agreement.

"Should we alert the media?" Fox asked as he logged onto his Twitter account.

"No." Roy shook his head. "It might cause rumors."

The Canidae shrugged his shoulders, not feeling offended. "Alright, if you say so."

"We'll-a start the search tomorrow!" Mario said. He began to hurry out of the cafeteria. "I'm-a going to tell the Hands-a about this!"

"Let's get started on the lost posters." Samus said, turning to Fox. Fox nodded and the two exited the cafeteria. They seemed to had forgotten about their breakfast.

Ike faced Chrom and his shepherds with a hopeful smile. "Don't worry, just hope for the best and we'll find Marth."

Chrom forced a small, calm smile. "Thank you, Ike."

* * *

Marth had just finished his small breakfast. At the moment when he neatly gathered all of his leftovers and threw them in the trash, there were two sudden earsplitting bangs that exploded outside in the streets. The startled Marth jumped and looked around panicky. What happened? What was that?! All of the patrons leapt out of their seats and hurried out of the café, their loud voices filling their air.

"Someone got shot, man!" Marth heard a curious teen shout. He began to follow the hurrying crowded his heart rate increased with every tense second. The crowd led him down the street to the entrance of the jewelry shop. Marth's dismayed heart froze like ice for a whole minute. No... He could not get shot! He was too nice! They had only met for a few precious minutes!

A wailing ambulance came dashing down the streets and came to a complete halt. Men carrying stretchers hurried into the shop. The crowd anxiously listened to their explanation.

"Both of them are unconscious." a voice sternly said. "The elder man has gotten shot in the stomach. The young man got shot at the top of his left lung."

"What happened anyway?" a soft female voice asked.

"From what I heard from the caller, a thief tried to steal from the store. The two men tried to stop them, only to get shot with a pistol."

"Let's get them to the hospital as soon as possible." a different, deep voice spoke. "These injuries are lethal."

A man quickly emerged from the store and shouted, "Move away, people! Move away! There's nothing to see here! Go back to what you were doing!"

The crowd obeyed and began to walk away from the frightening scene. As he was abruptly pushed away, Marth tried to look back. He saw two men carrying a stretcher with a body covered in a white blanket before he was abruptly shoved to the ground by a rowdy teenager, who was talking loudly to his friends like if he was giving a speech. They just walked pass him, not taking notice of him.

Marth felt greatly hurt, not because someone foully pushed him and walked away without apologizing, but because someone who could've been a close friend had just got gravely injured. Darwin might survive to see another day, or die. As the ambulance drove off and screamed deafeningly, Marth buried his trembling hands and began to weep hysterically.

* * *

**Author's Notes: This chapter sounded somewhat like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon 2, don't you think? **

**I'm finally finished with this chapter! Whew, it was kinda hard to write! I'm don't know what should happen in the next chapter so, if you have ideas, please suggest it in a review! Also for the Link/Villager story, I am going to post the second chapter tomorrow. **

**Story Questions:**

**Had you ever befriended someone who was with you for only a few minutes, suddenly left, and never returned? **

**What dangers should Marth run into in the next chapter?**

**Sooner or later, Marth will return to the Smash Mansion whether he wants to or not. How should he get back home?**


	8. Chapter 8: Blazing Blue

That day was one of the longest days Marth had ever faced. After weeping for ten minutes straight, which seemed like an hour, he finally picked himself up and began to venture around the area. He saw a business man step out of a taxi, quickly thank the driver, and cautiously hurry into a building.

"Did he see something?" Marth softly asked himself. He peered around his unfamiliar surroundings and shrugged. He did not see anything dangerous. Why was everyone acting so paranoid here?

As he walked down the street, Marth began to wonder if running away was worth it. Well, he was not being treated like a doormat anymore. Everyone back at the Smash Mansion did not want him, so they must be extremely joyful without him. He took up their valuable space and breathed in their precious air. Worst of all, he always needed someone like Ike to defend him.

Did anyone feel miserable when they couldn't find him? Did they even notice that he went missing, now that Lucina stole his spotlight? Stinging tears began to fill Marth's eyes, which were looking directly down at the sidewalk. A small muffled cry escaped his lips at the depressing thought. Maybe they did notice, but they did not bother to move a muscle to search for him. Who would want to have a spineless doormat as a friend anyway?

Marth heard a car coming down the street. He turned around and saw a police car stop in front of a tall apartment building. A married couple anxiously stood at the doorway. Their worried expression turned into a beaming smile when a joyful six-year-old girl rushed out of the car into their arms.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she exclaimed happily, giving her parents a huge hug.

"Oh, sweetie!" the mother spoke through her glad tears. "You're safe!"

"I will never let these mean men take you again!" the father vowed bravely.

Judging by what was happening, Marth assumed that the police had just rescued a kidnapped child and returned her to her loving family. It seemed so familiar… Marth quickly cringed at the sudden memory and began to walk faster. It reminded him of Roy's kidnapping incident. After running away from the Smash Mansion out of agony and distress, he was abducted by criminals who wanted to use him as a ransom. A small feeling of sadness curled up in Marth's throat as he remembered the joyful scene when Roy was brought back to safety by the police. Everyone was relieved to see him in one piece, especially his beloved family and friends.

If Marth returned to the mansion, would everyone react the same way? Would they be glad to have him back, or would they not care? A small tear rolled down Marth's creek. One part of his heart sensed that his friends would give him loving embraces and vow to him that they will never leave him alone. The other part told him that his friends would either not notice or purposely ignore him.

There were the visitors who came to the mansion on special occasions. Unless if they were a close friend or relative of Marth, they did not pay much attention to him. Marth stopped, sat on the sidewalk's curb, and sighed unhappily. He dearly missed Elice, Caeda, Merric, and the rest of his friends back in Altea. He missed his loving older sister's warm hand gently petting him on the head and talking to Caeda and Merric.

**NOTE: This part of the chapter contains foul language and minor violence. **

Marth's thoughts were interrupted by two adolescent boys hurrying down the sidewalk. They rushed past Marth like Sonic running around the track. Their faces were as white as snow and their frightened eyes were wide as saucers.

"Run!" Marth heard one of the boys hiss to his friend. "They are coming!" Marth stood up from his seat and saw a group of four rowdy teenage males heading down the sidewalk. Two of them were holding glass bottles filled with an odd liquid that tasted like acid. He found their clothing a bit strange; they all wore black and red. Why were they dressed that way?

"Hey, bros!" one of them loudly shouted, pointing at Marth who flinched. "Some jackass is standing right in our path!"

"No one fucking walks on the same sidewalk we're on!" another one mentioned. He seemed to be the leader. "Let's get 'em!"

Before Marth could react, one of the boys chucked an empty bottle at him, which directly struck him on the head. Marth collapsed onto his knees as pain swelled in his head and glass shattered on the ground. He clutched his head tightly with his hands, trying to soothe the stinging twinge. It was only a few seconds until the gang leader harshly grabbed Marth by the hood of his jacket and violently pulled him up to his feet.

"C'mon, fight back!" the leader shouted, giving Marth a burning slap on the face and throwing him onto the cold ground. Marth's glasses flew off his face and landed on the ground with a crack. The leader began to brutally kick him in the stomach. "Are you a fucking wuss?! Fight back like if you have some balls!"

"S-Stop it!" Marth managed to desperately cry out. Tears began to stream down his face.

"If you want me to stop, you have to force me to fuck off!" the leader heartlessly retorted.

"Please!" Marth begged again. He began to sob hysterically. The leader stopped beating him.

A member of the gang watched Marth howl in agony. "Dudes, this guy looks like a damn girl!"

"Maybe he's a guy with no balls!" the other member with the bottle of alcohol rudely joked.

The wailing Marth curled into a helpless ball as the gang carelessly sneered at hum. Why were they doing this?! He did not do anything to them, did he?! Did they love to see weak people suffer?!

"Hey, let's check out what's in his bag!" a member pointed to Marth's bag. "It might have some loot in it!"

The gang surrounded Marth. Three of the members grabbed Marth, who shrieked at the top of his high-pitched voice for help and began to struggle violently. They rolled their defenseless victim onto his stomach and forcefully held down his twisting legs, flailing arms, and back as their leader took Marth's backpack and began to rummage through it.

Fright struck Marth's heart like a car. He could not let these people steal his valuable money! But, what could he do?! Scream for help again? As he panicky thought of a plan, the merciless power of his great ancestor Anri began to flow through his veins and arteries. No, he could not rely on someone to randomly come in and save him! He needed to take action!

Before he even thought about it, Marth suddenly jolted his entire body up, surprising the gang members. They were not expecting the abrupt force. Marth's frightened eyes narrowed into a cold glare and gazed at the gang, who flinched at the harsh gleam in his eyes. Whoa, what had just happened?

"Leave me alone!" Marth shouted ferociously as he gave a member a violent punch in the stomach. The member shrieked and fell onto the ground.

"What the fuck is happening!?" the leader exclaimed in shock.

Like a karate champ, Marth kicked him in the shins, causing him to bend over in pain and drop his backpack. "That's mine!" He quickly put on his backpack and hurried away. The gang could only watch him run down the street in utter bewilderment.

**End of violence and language**

* * *

Roy and Pit were putting lost Marth posters on the convenience store's door. As a man carrying groceries exited the store, Pit quickly stopped him and asked, "Excuse me, had you seen Marth?" The angel showed him a picture of the missing Altean prince.

"Sorry, I hadn't." the man sadly answered, shaking his head. "I've only seen him in matches and on TV."

"Well, thanks anyway!" Pit forced a smile at the man, who went back to his car. "Hey Roy—" Pit caught Roy cringing in unexplainable fright. "Roy, what's wrong?"

"Something happened!" Roy could only whisper in anxiety. He clutched his red bangs and tightly pulled them.

"What?" Pit asked again. He didn't understand what the redhead said.

"Something happened to Marth!" Roy answered again, his voice rising. "I can feel it!"

Pit set a gentle hand on Roy's tense shoulder and said, "Roy, calm down! You're going to pull your hair out!" Roy let go of his hair and tried to relax. "Don't think about what's might happen to Marth! The more you think about it, the more likely something's gonna happen."

Roy nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I'm trying not to think about it!"

At that moment, Ike and Link arrived. They had just returned from the police station.

"Any news?" Pit asked, a bit nervous.

"No, they hadn't started their search." Ike answered gloomily.

"Let's go back to the mansion." Link spoke.

When the four returned to the Smash Mansion, they were immediately greeted by the child brawlers Ness, Lucas, Toon, and the Ice Climbers. Toon leapt onto Link and held onto him by the shoulders. Lucas and Ness took ahold of Ike's arms. The Ice Climbers hysterically circled Pit and Roy in nervousness.

"Did you find Marth?!" Toon asked, his cat eyes widening in hope. It gazed desperately into Link's almond-shaped eyes.

"No, we weren't looking for him." Link answered, hoping not to disappoint the kids. "We were just putting up some lost posters."

"Sorry, kids." Ike apologized, forcing a sad smile.

Toon let go of Link and hurried back to his friends, who looked down at the floor and cheerlessly groaned, "Awwww..."

"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Ike vowed, clutching his fists. "The entire mansion is going to look for him tomorrow. We'll find him. I promise."

"Ok..." Popo replied quietly.

The miserable children began to walk away slowly. As he watched them leave, Link heard Lucas softly say, "I miss Marth! He always cared about us!"

"Yeah..." Nana agreed sadly.

Pit looked at his friends with a blue look. "Let's get something to eat, guys."

When the four entered the cafeteria, it was oddly quiet and a bit empty. Sonic was sitting at a table next to his rivals Fox and Falco. Instead of bickering who was the fastest, the three were just awkwardly staring at each other. They dearly missed Marth. Red the Pokèmon Trainer tried to cheer his Pokèmon up by giving them poffins and saying encouraging words. Princess Zelda was quietly reading a book on finding runaway princes.

"It's awfully quiet..." Pit whispered, taking a seat with his friends.

Roy nodded and gloomily looked at Marth's empty seat. "I don't really feel hungry..." he mumbled.

Link's ears drooped in anguish as he put his head on the table and sighed.

"I'll get something for you guys to eat." Ike said, noticing that his friends were depressed.

At that moment, a certain indigo-haired mage's voice suddenly rang out. "Wolt, stop it! The brownies aren't for you! It's for Marth!"

"C'mon Lilina, just one!"

"Stop it, Rolf! Why won't you guys listen?!"

Lilina, Wolt, Mist, and Rolf entered the cafeteria. Lilina was carefully holding a plate full of freshly-baked brownies. Wolt and Rolf were deviously trying to take a brownie, only to get caught by either Lilina or Mist. The four were followed by Marcus, Eliwood, and Oscar.

"Hey, guys!" Ike greeted. "Why are you here?"

"We're here for Marth's birthday." Oscar answered with a calm smile. "We decided to come early."

"Where is he?" Lilina asked, looking around for Marth. "I want him to give him my early birthday gift!" Wolt managed to take a large piece of brownie and shove it in his mouth with a smug grin. "Hey!" Lilina angrily exclaimed, glaring Wolt in the eye.

Ike, Link, Roy, and Pit uneasily looked at each other. They hadn't heard what happened to Marth... What should they say?

"I'll break the news to them." Roy shakily said. He worriedly faced the seven Fire Emblem characters. "If I tell you this, please don't get angry at us." he nervously started.

"We won't." Mist replied with a soft smile.

Roy swallowed nervously before he spoke. "Y-Yesterday, Marth ran away." There was an awkward moment of silence. The visitors could only stare at the brawlers in shock. Roy unsteadily continued. "Don't b-blame my friends! It's my fault! I—"

Marcus interrupted the ashamed redhead. "We're not blaming everyone. Just tell us, why did Marth run away."

"Yesterday, some new Fire Emblem characters came to visit the mansion." Roy answered, trying to stay strong. "Marth felt overshadowed by them and assumed he wasn't needed anymore."

"That's really bad..." Rolf softly piped up. "Did you look for him?"

"In the mansion, yes." Ike answered, noticing Roy straining himself to hold his tears. "We're going to start a search in Tokyo tomorrow."

"We need to find Marth as soon as possible!" Link added sternly. "If we don't, the new Fire Emblem characters will vanish out of existence! Most of them are his descendants!"

"If you think the police are going to help, they aren't!" Pit spoke up. "They are too busy solving other crimes!"

"They think looking for Marth isn't a top priority?" Wolt asked, feeling a bit fury burn in his heart.

"Yeah!" Pit answered.

"That isn't right!" Lilina said. She was a bit angry at the police. "Don't they know Marth might be in danger?"

As he wiped the tears out of his eyes, Roy saw his father's lips move a bit. "Dad, what did you say?" Everyone silenced so the Marquess of Pherae could speak.

"Roy, I'll help you search for Marth." Eliwood said quietly.

The four brawlers' eyes lightened in joy. "Really?" Pit asked. A small smile spread across his face.

"Yes." Eliwood replied with a soft smile. "I do not want to just stand around, let you do all the work, and hope for the best. It does not help."

"I'll help look!" Mist volunteered cheerfully. The other visitors nodded in agreement.

Ike was surprised by this sudden act of kindness. He expected the visitors to just wish them for the best. "Well... Thanks everyone!" he thanked with a grin. The mercenary wished Marth was here to see this. It would prove that people care about him.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I'm still here! *cricket chirps***

**Sorry for the late update. I actually did not know what to write for this chapter. I have to admit, this fanfic isn't one of my best stories. XD I hope I'm not boring everyone with tuns of dialogue! **

**I'll try to upload the next chapter ASAP.**

**Story Questions: **

**This has been bothering me for a while. Do you think Marth's role in the story seems M/Gary Sueish? If so, can you give any suggestions to make him not seem like a Sue? **

**If you ran into a gang, what will you do? **

**(You don't need to answer this): What would you like to see in future chapters? **


	9. Chapter 9: Familiar Colors

After successfully fleeing from the rowdy gang, Marth hurried into a nearby park. It only had a small playground, which consisted of a slide, monkey bars, and a swing set. It was surrounded by looming, old buildings with colorful graffiti smeared on its walls. Pigeons were pecking at the ground, desperately looking for food. Marth sighed as he sat down in a bench. He looked across the street and watched crowds of people quickly hurriedly enter and exit a busy local supermarket. Cars quickly darted by like an arrow.

Now that Marth was not a brawler anymore, what should he do for a living? He was alone, with no enormous gloved hands to pay for his needs. He couldn't just steal clothes and foods, that was breaking the law! If he had the courageous guts to do so, he risked getting caught and arrested!

Marth dearly wanted a job that did not include talking to his new coworkers, as he was terribly shy. Due to his recent experience in the Smash Mansion, unless if his coworkers clearly showed that they were friendly, Marth feared "false friendships", backstabs, and being left alone in the frightening darkness. He was too afraid to take another hurtful punch in the stomach again.

"Mom, can we play in the park?" a little boy's loud voice suddenly rang up. Marth instantly looked at the source of the voice and saw three boys talking to their mother near the park's entrance. The tallest boy had a red baseball cap sitting on his curly brown hair. The skinniest boy had straight blond hair and innocent sapphire eyes. The shortest boy had green eyes and wavy black hair.

"Yes, but only for ten minutes." The mother answered. "I have work to do at home."

"Yay!" The three boys cheered as they rushed towards the playground equipment. They being to play on the swing set.

"I can fly!" The boy with the red baseball cap shouted excitedly.

"To the moon!" The boy with the black hair exclaimed.

"B-Be careful!" The blond boy shuttered as his sapphire eyes widened as he gradually got higher.

A feeling of nostalgia made Marth's heart pound sadly as he observed the three naïve kids play and their protective mother carefully watch them. They reminded him of Ike, Link, and all of the child brawlers. Once in a while, the three would take the children to the Tokyo Park. Although it did not have a playground, the eight brawlers would play a great game of soccer, basketball, or tennis. They had so much fun, when Ike and Link announced to the kids that it was time to go, the children would desperately beg to stay longer.

"Are the children lonely without me?" Marth wondered as he nervously fidgeted with his dyed black hair. "Well, they have Henri-kun now. But, he seems really scary. Maybe I should go back… NO! I won't!" Struggling to endure the strong temptation to return to the Smash Mansion, Marth hastily exited the park. He did not want to remember the blissful times he had in the Smash Mansion. "I never want to go back!" Marth hissed to himself. "Never, ever!"

Marth decided to look around the neighboring supermarket. Many people were shopping in it, so he assumed the store was selling something special. Was it a mouthwatering cake made from a top-secret recipe? After squeezing and wiggling through the swarming entrance like a worm, he finally set foot in the store.

To Marth's little disappointment, there wasn't anything special about the store. It almost looked exactly like the convenience store near the Smash Mansion. The only difference was, it was much smaller, there wasn't a large variety of foods, the floor was cracked and littered with trash, and there was only one busy employee at the register. Customers were crowding around him and impatiently shouting at him, instead of lining up in an organized, single line and patiently waiting for their turn. To Marth, it was a tad strange and a bit impolite.

As he curiously looked around, a worker carrying a few bags of chips accidentally bumped into Marth. "Ah!" the prince exclaimed. The worker quickly turned and hurried away without a single word. "So rude…" Marth mumbled to himself. A hurrying customer who was trying to exit the store stepped on his shores. "Ah!" Marth cried out softly.

Marth heard loud, slow footsteps coming up from behind. With a small tone of fear swirling in his heart, he turned around and saw a bulky employee caring five heavy boxes containing cans of food. Marth thought he was a stack of boxes walking on its own for a split second since the boxes hid his face. Due to the boxes blocking his view, the employee did not notice a banana peel lying in his path.

"Look out!" Marth blurted out.

It was too late. The employee slipped on the banana peel with a shocked yell. Boxes tumbled out of his hands. With an exclamation, Marth hurried out of the way, only to knock over a stack of boxed cereal.

"D-OH!" a frustrated voice shouted furiously. "Who did that?!" A man dressed like a manager angrily stomped towards Marth with a glare. He had hair as red as a tomato and ruthless hazel eyes. He wore an icy blue shirt with a red and orange tie and black dress pants. "You did it, did you?!" He pointed an accusing finger at the tense ex-brawler.

"I, urm…" Marth nervously started.

"Devon, excuse him." An old lady approached the scene and faced Devon with a stern look in her frail, winkled face. She wore a patterned purple dress and black sandals. Her gray hair was tied in a bun. A pair of glasses enlarged her blue eyes. "He didn't mean to do it!"

"Fine…" Devon huffed. He went away, not before giving a harsh look at Marth.

The old lady turned to Marth. "That's my nephew Devon. Don't listen to 'em."

"T-Thank you, Miss… Erm…" Marth quietly began, looking down at his shoes.

"Please, call me Granny." The old lady said with a gentle smile. "That's what my beloved employees call me. You seem to be new here. What's your name, sonny?"

"My name…" Marth began timidly. He forced a soft smile and continued to look at the ground. "M-My name Mark."

"Mart?" Granny asked, rubbing her ears. "Is that what ya said?"

"M-MARK!" Marth spoke louder.

"Ah, Mark!" Granny replied with a softly smile. "Sorry, my hearin' is a bit weak."

"It's o…kay." Marth said, shyly looking around. "Erm, it's nice to meet you. It's really busy, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Granny answered. "It has been this way ever since it first opened."

"When did it open?" Marth asked.

"Over fifty years ago." Granny answered with a soft smile. "I was about five years old when it opened."

Marth's eyes widened in bewilderment at Granny's statement. "How old are you?"

"My memory is a bit rough… I am eighty-five years old." Granny answered with a small nod.

"Wow!" Marth gasped softly. He suddenly thought of something. "Er, I have a question. I'm looking for a job. Can I… work here?"

"Well… Sure!" Granny answered with a beaming smile. "You seem to be a good employee. You're friendly and look like a hard worker…"

Marth blushed at the kind remark. "Thank you. What can I do now?"

"You know the guy who was carrying the boxes?" Granny pointed to the muscular man setting the five boxes on the ground. He was wearing a dark green shirt, jeans smeared with dirt, and white tennis shoes. His skin was slightly tanned. His straight blond hair covered his cobalt-blue eyes. "That's Michael. He goes by the name Mike. He's unloading a truck full of goodies. Go ask him if he needs some help."

"Ok. T-Thank you." Marth thanked with a small bow. Marth bashfully approached Mike. "Um, e-excuse me, Mike?"

Although it was dreadfully loud in the supermarket, Mike heard Marth's quiet voice, faced him with a calm smile, and said, "Yes, what do ya need from me?" His ears were as sensitive as a certain Hylian Hero's pointy ears.

"Ok, I'm Mark and I'm a new worker." Marth explained. "Granny told me to ask you if you need help. D-Do you need help?"

"Yeah, my buddies and I could need some help." Mike answered, motioning Marth to follow him.

Marth followed Mike out of the store to the truck, which was parked across the street. As they approached the truck, a short male with dyed red hair and green eyes passed by them, his hands holding two boxes of junk food. "That's Robby." Mike introduced. "He has been workin' here for a couple of months. For some reason, he doesn't like talkin' to people. He's really quiet."

"Did something happen?" Marth quietly asked.

"I don't know." Mike answered. "He never talks 'bout his past."

A man in his thirties was on the truck's cargo area. With all of his strength, he was carefully setting freight on the ground for his coworkers. He had wavy black hair and squinty brown eyes. Marth picked up a small, light box filled with candy bars. He never had enough muscles to carry a large box.

"This is Kyle." Mike pointed to Kyle, who paused for a few seconds and wiped his brow with a loud sigh. "He's been working here for years." Mike picked up a large box filled with cat food.

"How is he?" Marth quietly asked. To the coy male, Kyle looked a bit tough.

"Although he looks stern, he is actually light-hearted." Mike answered. "Did you see the blank look on his face and assumed he is cold?"

Marth blushed in embarrassment. "Yeah…"

"That look can mean anything." Mike explained. "He could either be happy, sad, or angry. Don't worry. I've known him for a while, so I know how he's feeling. He's probably feeling happy right now."

Marth and Mike entered the supermarket with the freights. After setting the boxes in the empty corner of the room, Mike continued to introduce his coworkers to Marth.

"The guy at the cash register is Wyatt." Mike pointed to the bored-looking teenager at the counter. His orange hair, which was parted to the left, covered his exhausted black eyes. "Poor guy, he's forced to work at the cash register." Mike pointed to a young burnette lady with calm indigo eyes standing near the entrance. "And that's Alexis. She makes sure that no one shoplifts."

"Hey, EXCUSE ME!" Mike and Marth looked up and saw Devon snobbishly shoving through a crowd of ladies.

"Urk, and that's Devon." Mike groaned.

"I already know." Marth softly whispered. "He's really mean."

"I don't really like him." Mike added. "Sadly, he's the manager of the store."

Marth sighed unhappily. He wondered why nasty people always got high-ranked positions.

"Enough with the upside-down smiles!" Mike piped with an encouraging grin. "Let's get back to work!"

"Y-Yes!" Marth replied.

As Marth followed Mike out of the store, a married couple stepped in front of Marth, blocking him. He stood on his tippy-toes and helplessly watched Mike walk away from him. Sadly looking down at the floor, Marth began to wait for his path to clear.

Granny, who was sitting in a wooden chair and keeping track of her store, saw Marth's meek action. "Mark!" she called up. Marth jumped and looked at her. "Don't let them step in your way! Speak up, kiddo!"

Swallowing nervously, Marth turned to the couple, who were talking to each other. He put up a confident face with his gathered courage and looked directly at them. "Excuse me, you're in my way!" he said assertively yet politely.

"Oh, we're sorry." The husband apologized. He and his wife went out of Marth's way.

With a thanking smile, Marth slightly bowed down and hurried after Mike.

* * *

The slow, boring day went as fast as a beam of light. At the end of day, Marth happily helped Mike and Granny clean up the store. He happily hummed a light-hearted tone as he swept litter out of the store's entrance with a broom. Granny and Mike were tidying the foods stacked on the shelves.

"I never met a kid as nice like Mark." Granny whispered to Mike.

"I know!" Mike replied as he watched Marth put the broom back in the closet. "Teenagers these days are so lazy and disrespectful, man!"

"Ah, I'm finished!" Marth sang out. He approached Mike and Granny. "What do we do next?"

"We're done for the day!" Granny answered.

"Finally!" Mike sighed. "Today was really tirin'!"

"Awww…" Marth groaned. "I had a lot of fun…"

"Don't worry, there's tomorrow!" Mike replied with a wink. He began to head out of the store. "I got to go now, see you guys later!"

"Bye, bye, Mike!" Marth said with a sweet smile.

Granny suddenly remembered something. "Oh Mark, I forgot to ask you for your phone number."

Marth's face went pale for a second. "I… I don't have a phone number…" he softly sighed.

"Your address?"

Marth began to shiver wildly. "I… I don't have a place to live."

Granny gave Marth a sympathetic look. "Oh, you don't?"

"Well not really. I live in abandoned building."

"Don't you have a family?"

"Well…" Marth began. He remembered why did he run away from the Smash Mansion in the first place and began to weep softly. Tears slowly rolled down his cheeks.

"Did something happen?" Granny questioned. She gave Marth a warm embrace, which felt a bit like Ike's hugs. This made Marth bury his face in her shoulder and cry slightly harder as he tried to hold back tears. "Don't worry, you can stay with me for now."

"Really?" Marth looked up with teary eyes.

"Yes. I live around this area. Come along with me."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Marth, you're so lucky! You don't need to go through a stressful job interview! **

**YES, I'm finally finished with chapter 9. Well, here's Marth's "job". I have to admit, I wasn't realistic enough with this chapter. So much for trying to show the harsh realities in this story, haha! Also, I hope I'm not bothering the readers with all of these dialogue! Just to let my readers know, school will be starting again in about two more weeks. Darn it. =( **

**I also edited some of my earlier questions. I kinda screwed up on my FE: Awakening facts. **

**Story Questions:**

**Do any of Marth's new coworkers resemble his friends back at the mansion in any way? **

**In the next chapter, should Granny discover Marth's true identity? Why or why not?**

**What would you like to see in the next chapter? **


	10. Chapter 10: The Blue's True Hue

Granny did not live far from the supermarket. She lived in a small apartment behind the supermarket. It was awfully small compared to the Smash Mansion, as it only had a front room with a wooden table, chairs, an average-sized kitchen, and TV, a small bathroom, and two bedrooms. The

"Sorry that it's small." Granny apologized to Marth, who was curiously looking around.

"It's ok." Marth replied with a small smile. He stood in the middle of the front room.

"Feel free to watch some TV." Granny said, heading into the kitchen. "I'm going to cook a quick dinner."

Marth nodded his head and Granny began to cook some fried rice. He took off his shoes, sat down at the table, took the remote, and turned on the TV. It showed a news report about today's events. The sound of rain tapping on the large glass window caused him to look outside for a few seconds. The tall lamps' orange light sliced through the pitch-black darkness. Cars drove down the soaked asphalt streets. Marth turned and faced the TV with a small sigh.

"A brawler from the Smash Mansion has gone missing." A news reporter spoke urgently on the television. Marth slightly jumped in his seat and focused all of his attention on the report. "Yesterday, Marth Lowell was last seen with his friends before he ran away. What caused him to do so isn't publicized by the Hands."

Granny, who finished cooking dinner, set two plates of warm steamed rice with eggs on the table, and sat down. "Dinner's ready." She said to Marth. Marth did not reply; he just blankly stared at the TV with a sad gleam in his eyes. "Mark? Are you ok?" Granny softly asked.

"Oh, nothing!" Marth forced a smile and began to eat his dinner while watching TV at the same time. His smile slowly faded and returned to an unhappy look.

A female reporter was in the Smash Mansion's backyard, standing with Ness, Lucas, Ness, the Ice Climbers, and Link. "We would like to interview some of the other brawlers." She pointed her microphone at Link. "Sir, what is your name?"

"I'm Link." Link said, forcing a smile before it fell.

"Can you please tell us how do you feel about Marth's disappearance?" the reporter asked.

"I feel very sad." Link answered, his pointy ears drooping in sadness. "Marth is a gentle person who always cares about how others feel." Tears began to fill Marth's wide eyes. In effort to hide his sorrow, his tried to blink it away. He never saw Link so miserable before. "The Smash Mansion doesn't feel the same without him."

"I miss Marth!" Popo cried out, sniffing loudly.

The Ice Climber's soft exclaim caught the reporter's attention. "You five must be the child brawlers. How do you feel about Marth's disappearance?"

"I really, really miss him!" Nana said, covering her mouth as a tear rolled down her face.

"Yeah!" Toon spoke up. "He was always there to help us!"

"Even though he is a prince, he likes to play with us." Ness said sadly, looking down at the ground.

"I want Marth back!" Lucas blubbered, unable to hold in his anguish. As their friend began to sob hysterically, Ness and Toon gave the little blond a hug.

Marth slightly choked on his food as a tiny tear trickled down his cheek. He wanted to walk through the TV and give all of the children a warm embrace. The scene cut to the reporter asking the same question to Pit and Roy.

"Both of us miss him." Pit answered in a quiet tone. "We love to spend time with him."

"Tomorrow, we're starting a search for Marth." Roy added. "We need to find him as soon as possible. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I hope he's ok…"

"Roi-kun, boku wa daijoubu." Marth mumbled under his breath.

"Mark, what did you say?" Granny asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?"

"Err, no!" Marth quickly answered, scratching the back of his head.

The reporter saw Ike standing behind Pit and Roy. The bluenette leaned against a wall and uneasily looked down at the blank floor. Worry dulled his joyless cobalt eyes.

"Excuse me, may I have your name?" the reporter asked the silent mercenary.

"Oh, erm… I'm Ike." Ike replied.

"Can you please tell us how do you feel about Marth's disappearance?"

"I really miss him." Ike began, nodding his head sadly. "Why? He was the first person I met and befriended when I arrived at the Brawl Tournament." Marth began to tremble slightly as he remembered the joyful moment when he and Ike first met. "I have to admit, he cries a lot when he's upset and a bit timid. But, that doesn't mean that he's a bad friend! Once when you overlook his weaknesses and see his gentle and caring personality, he can be the greatest friend ever!"

With a sniff, Marth quickly wiped away his tears. Ike saw him as a good friend?! Did he really mean it? Was he making this up? The dumbfounded ex-brawler continued to watch.

"I hope nothing happened to Marth…" Ike continued, his voice shaking slightly. The mercenary sadly looked at the camera. "Marth, if you're watching, please come back! Everyone misses you! Well, maybe Ganondorf and his pals aren't, but it's not the same without you! I just want spend time with you and the others like we used to!"

Unable to hold in his distress, Ike let his tears stream down his face. Pit and Roy immediately hugged the weeping Crimean. "Ike, do you want everyone to see you cry on TV?" Roy whispered. Pit slapped Roy for the rude statement. "OWCH!" Roy softly exclaimed.

Marth slightly tilted his head at the somber scene and blinked away some stinging tears. He had never seen Ike cry before.

"Hey, we're looking for him tomorrow!" Pit said, forcing an encouraging smile.

"Yes, I know." Ike whispered back. "I just don't want something to happen to him!"

"Aiku-kun…" Marth softly whimpered. His breathing became uneven as he tried to fight back tears. "AIKU-KUUUN!" Marth sobbed loudly, burying his face in his hands.

"Mark, don't cry!" Granny quickly turned off the TV, rushed towards Marth's side, and gave him a hug. "There, there. Everything's ok. I don't mean to be rude, but you're a sensitive person…" Marth nodded and snuggled in Granny's arms like a scared little child. After a while, he calmed down. "Are you feeling better now?" Granny asked.

"Yes…" Marth answered, his eyes pink from crying uncontrollably.

"Let's stop watching the news for a while." Granny said, showing a hopeful smile. "Finish your dinner."

"Y-Yes." Marth quickly wolfed down his food and suddenly thought of something. "Granny, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"Why aren't there a lot of employees working in your store? It is always in in business…"

Granny smiled sadly. "Just because a store has a lot of customers doesn't mean that it's successful. I couldn't afford to pay all of my workers due to the economy, so I had to fire some of them."

Marth blinked in confusion. "Then why did you hire me?"

"You seemed to be a responsible person. I can rely on you."

"Oh, t-thanks." Marth blushed.

"Can you please tell me your story?" Granny asked. "I want to know what happened to you."

Marth uneasily looked down at his feet. Should he tell the truth? Even though he just saw his friends begging for his return, he was not sure if they actually meant it. They might only pay attention to him for a few days and leave him in the darkness alone again. "Erm… I ran away."

"You ran away? Why?"

"I… eh…"

"Was it a divorce?"

Marth shook his head no.

"Were you abused? If so, I can't believe someone would hurt you!"

Unable to handle his anxiety, Marth exclaimed, "N-Nobody wants me!" He huffed loudly as his dyed black hair, which was neatly parted in the middle, fell over his blue eyes. Marth gasped and quickly tried to brush his bangs away. "M-My family ignored me. They wouldn't pay attention to me…"

Granny's eyes filled with doubt. "I see…"

"Do you believe me?" Marth asked.

"I believe you, sonny." Granny's nose caught an unpleasant scent, making her sniff the air for the source of the smell.

"What's wrong?" Marth slightly tilted his head in confusion.

"I smell something…"

"It must be me." Marth's face turned red in embarrassment. "I've been working really hard today… May I take a shower now?"

"You may." Granny said.

Marth nodded thanks to Granny and went into the bathroom. It was the same size as his bathroom back at the Smash Mansion. The male began to take off his clothes, which were smeared with gray dust and had a small scent of rotten eggs. He turned on the shower and began to bathe himself.

As he washed his body with soap, Marth did not notice the water washing the black dye out of his hair, revealing its natural blue color. He took a sweet-smelling shampoo and messaged through his straight hair. Warm water streamed down his bare body, making him feel relaxed. Boiling steam clouded the air.

Marth sighed as he turned off the shower and began to dry himself with a tower. He dressed in his boxers, wrapped the towel around his exposed chest, and looked in the mirror. The water vapor distorted his reflection. He could only see a blur of white, pink, and blue. Wait, blue?! In slight panic, Marth quickly wiped the vapor off the mirror and looked closer at his reflection. Oh no… the dye washed off! What should he do?

Granny knocked on the bathroom door. "Mark, can I give you this?"

"Y-Yes!" Marth nervously answered. He unlocked the door and opened it slightly.

Granny held out a pair of sweat pants and a plain white shirt. "Is everything ok?"

Marth took the night garments. "Y-Yes!" He quickly dressed himself.

"May I enter?" Granny asked. "I need to take some pills."

Marth jumped in shock. "Er, can I give them to you?"

"No, please let me help myself!"

Granny pushed the bathroom door open and gasped in surprise. Standing in the bathroom was a scared teenage male who shared Mark's skinny build, tall height, and gentle blue eyes. However, he had long (For a boy!) blue hair with bangs. What happened? Was this Mark's true identity?

"Mark…?" Granny softly questioned. "Is that you?"

Marth swallowed nervously, knowing that he couldn't lie to escape from the truth. "I… I was Mark."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not actually Mark." Marth began to tremble a bit. "My real name is… Marth."

"Marth? As in the missing brawler?" The shocking fact hit Granny like a train.

"Yes…" Marth whispered timidly. "P-Please, don't take me back to the mansion! I don't want to go back!"

"How come?"

"If I go back, my friends are just going to ignore me!"

"I don't think they were lying! They seem to miss you!"

"I don't want to go back!"

Granny gave Marth a stern look before it returned to its gentle gaze. "Well, I don't have control over you. If you don't want to return to the Smash Mansion, then it's fine for me."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Erm, can you promise me something?"

"What is it?"

"Can you please keep this a secret?" Marth requested.

"Yes, I promise." Granny vowed.

Marth smiled sweetly at the elder.

* * *

Roy was in his room, lying in his bed. The redhead's room was nearly similar to Marth's; only that it was a bit smaller, the walls were a pale red color, the bed was across from the window, and the shelves were filled with manga, video games, and thick informational books. The lights were turned off, making the room colorless and shadowy. The door was wide open.

Roy cuddled his covers, blinked, and sighed as he gazed at the glowing orange nightlight, which was shaped like the Sword of Seals. He wondered how Marth was doing right now. Did he find a place to stay, or was he wandering around in the dark streets all by himself? Was he fed or starving to death? Those thoughts plagued the redhead's mind.

Pit, who was walking down the hallway, looked into Roy's room and saw the worried swordsman. "Hey, Roy."

"Oh, hey Pit." Roy replied.

The angel entered the room and sat on Roy's bed. "So… You can't sleep?"

"Yeah." Roy answered, sitting up in his bed. "Same with you?"

"Yes. I just can't stop thinking about Marth." Pit explained. "He's been missing for two days."

"His birthday is in three days." Roy added. "Same with Lucina's. I just don't want them to have a terrible birthday… and vanish in Lucina's case."

"Ike and Link told me that the Hands are selecting groups and assigning them to certain locations in Tokyo." Pit said.

"I hope we're getting Southern Tokyo." Roy spoke.

"Why?!" Pit gasped in shock. "That part of Tokyo is full of criminals!"

"I have this weird feeling that Marth is there!" Roy answered, clutching his blanket.

"I see…" Pit said. He forced an encouraging smile. "Well, let's just hope for the best and try to find him."

"Yeah!" Roy replied. He lied down on his bed. "Thanks for talking to me, Pit!" Pit grinned brightly before getting off of the bed. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Roy." Pit whispered, before heading out of Roy's room.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Marth, did you check to see if the dye was washable? **

**Heeere's chapter 10! I hope I didn't make the chapter cheesy and boring. I am trying to finish this story as soon as possible. I'm taking a small break on Cat Burglary because I have no idea what should happen next. (Hooray for writer's block. -_-) **

**Also, I opened a poll. It is asking which character should I write about next. I just made it out of curiosity and fun; you don't have to vote. I'm just wondering what characters my readers want me to write about. (Sorry if it's worded funny.) You can vote up to 6 characters. Be aware that I'm still planning to start on the Fox, Falco, and Sonic story next.**

**Story Questions:**

**If you were Granny, would you try to convince Marth to go back to the Smash Mansion.**

**According to Roy, Marth's birthday is in three days. When should he return to the mansion? **

**Do you think the villains should be forced to look for Marth, only to not make an effort? **


	11. Chapter 11: Luck of the Blue

Despair. Anger. Fright. Feeling lost. That was what Marth felt as he panicky dashed through the ominous, mysterious forest away from a nameless force. Ravens cawed at him as they watched the bluenette hurry. The shadowy trees' rigged branches clawed at Marth's clothes and scratched his pale skin.

Marth was dressed in his prince attire. His cape and tunic were ripped and smeared with mud. His boots were worn and had a few holes. One of his gloves was missing. Marth's blue hair was tangled and matted with leaves. His skin was covered with bruises and scars. The prince's cerulean eyes were gray with fear.

"Where's the boy?!" a gruff voice shouted furiously.

"He must be around here!" another voice yelled. "Find him! He must be brought back to Gharnef!"

Marth let out a startled cry and began to run faster.

"I hear a voice over there!" a voice exclaimed. "He's over there!"

The voices full of hatred made Marth dash faster. His heart began to thump violently. Although his legs were aching, Marth pushed himself to go faster. His bangs whipped in his eyes. He screamed when he stumbled over a sneaky tree root. With a wheezy gasp, he shakily got up and took off into a thorny forest.

"A-Ah!" Marth screeched when a thorny bush snagged his cape and tunic, stopping him in his path. He struggled frantically in effort to free himself, only to get more tangled.

"There he is!" a solider shouted. "Grab him!"

Hands grabbed Marth by the neck, hair, arms, and legs and yanked him out of the bush. Thick ropes coiled around his body like an anaconda, restricting the bluenette's movements.

"Iya, YAMETE!" Marth shrieked in his native language, thrashing against his captors. "LET GO!"

"Let's take him back now." a solider hissed. He raised the hilt of his sword over Marth's head.

"IYAAAAAA!" Marth screamed as the hilt was brought down like a bolt of lightning.

With a small cry, Marth jolted out of his bed and anxiously peered around his surroundings. He shakily clutched his covers. A dull glitter of sunlight shone from the window, giving the bedroom its colors.

"It... It was just a dream..." Marth sighed in relief. He began to wonder what the meaning of his nightmare was.

At that moment, Granny peered into the room. "Oh, you're awake. It's time to get ready for work!" With a small nod, Marth smiled slightly, stepped out of his bed, and got ready for the day.

After dressing in his clothes and washing in the bathroom, Marth helped himself to a bowl of cereal while Granny ate her oatmeal. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"I sure did." Granny answered, sipping her tea. "And you?"

Marth remembered the nightmare for a split second. "Er, yes!" he replied, forcing a smile that didn't look fake.

"That's good." Granny smiled back. Marth blinked a bit and quickly ate his cereal.

"When do we need to leave?" Marth asked with his mouth full.

Granny looked at the clock hanging on the wall. "We have to leave at seven so, we have about ten minutes."

"O-Oh!" Marth gasped and hurriedly finished his breakfast.

"Take your time, Mark— Er, I'm mean Marth." Granny said.

Marth swallowed "M-Mark's fine."

After finishing breakfast, Marth and Granny left the house and went down the street to the supermarket. As they turned the corner, Marth looked behind him and saw Granny weakly trudging behind him. It was a bit strange to him. Last night when they were heading to her house, Granny managed to keep up with him.

"Erm, are you ok?" Marth asked as he waited for Granny to catch up to him.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Granny answered with a gentle smile. "Thank you for asking."

The two walked around the corner. There, they saw Mike waiting for them at the front of the market.

"Good morning, Mark and Granny!" Mike greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Mike!" Marth replied with a small smile.

Granny was about to say something back to Mike when suddenly, she took a small stumble. Luckily, Marth was there to break her fall.

"Ah, Granny!" Marth gasped in shock. "Are you ok?!"

"I'm fine." Granny softly answered.

Mike hurried to Granny's side. "Are you sure?" he sternly asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Granny replied. "My age is just gettin' to me."

"If you say so..." Mike spoke.

When Granny opened the store, Marth and Mike hung around the entrance, waiting for their co-workers.

"I really hope Granny is alright." Mike said to Marth. "Last year, she had a heart attack."

"Really?" Marth softly asked.

"Yeah, she was in the hospital for a couple of months." Mike explained. "Doctors told her that her stress and way of living contributed to the attack. Man, I don't want her to die."

"Yes, she's really nice." Marth agreed.

"Not only that but, if Granny passes away, the whole store will belong to Devon! And, you know how rude he could be!"

"Does Granny have any children?" Marth asked.

"Yes, she does." Mike answered. "She only has a son."

"What is his name?"

Mike pointed to himself. "I'm her son."

Marth gasped softly. "Really? I didn't know because she treated you like friend! If that's true, then you should be the next owner!"

"To be honest, I was adopted." Mike sadly said. "Also, Granny's older brother used to own the store. Before he died of cancer, he signed a contract saying that his son will be the next heir to the store. At that time, Devon was too young to own the supermarket, so Granny took over."

"Wow..." Marth said under his breath. He turned around and saw Granny strolling around the store. "Granny, please be strong!"

With a strange look, Mike took a closer look at Marth's blue hair. "Hey… You changed the color of your hair and your hairstyle! Neat! You remind me of someone famous…"

Marth jumped and his face went a deep hue of red. "I didn't do anything! It was like this since yesterday!"

"Really?" Mike asked doubtfully.

"Yeah!" If Marth was in an anime, a large sweat drop would've rolled down his head.

Meanwhile, all of the brawlers and visitors gathered at the Smash Mansion's front yard. The Hands were announcing the chosen groups and locations. Ike and Link impatiently tapped their feet on the grassy ground as they waited for their names to be called. Roy and Pit crossed their fingers in anxiety and hoping, hoping that they will get Southern Tokyo. Fox and Falco only hoped that they were going to be together in a group. The villains were chatting in a small group, not caring about looking for Marth. Red was feeding his Pokemon some poffins to perk up their senses.

"Fox, Falco, Samus, and Captain Falcon, you four are assigned to Northern Tokyo." Master Hand announced.

"Neat!" Falco whispered to Fox. "We're together! If I remember correctly, Northern Tokyo is where all the manufacturing companies are."

"I think that's true!" Fox whispered back.

"Red, you and your Pokemon are assigned to the Tokyo Zoo." Crazy Hand spoke.

"Huuh?!" Red exclaimed in bewilderment. "Why?"

"I think it suits you well." If Crazy Hand had a face, Red would have seen his wink.

"Sonic, Ice Climbers, Wolf, and Olimar, you are assigned to look in Eastern Tokyo." Master Hand stated. "Lilina, Mist, Rolf, Ness, Lucas, Toon, and Kirby, check the local library, schools, and parks."

"Link, Princess Zelda, Pit, and Luigi, you guys are going to look around in Western Tokyo." Crazy Hand exclaimed.

Link and Pit turned to their friends and shrugged. "Well, it looks like we're not going to look for Marth together." Link sighed with a small smile.

"Ike, Roy, Ganondorf, Wario, and Dedede, you are assigned to Southern Tokyo." Master Hand boomed.

Roy groaned under his breath. Pit looked at Roy with an optimistic look and asked, "What's wrong? You wanted to look for Marth at Southern Tokyo!"

"I'm in a group with Ganondorf, Wario, and Dedede!" Roy huffed in frustration.

"At least you're with Ike!"

"Still, Ganondorf, Wario, and Dedede will cause trouble!" Roy gasped and moaned. "Ooh boy…"

"You can tolerate it!"

"What can be worst?"

"Having Wolf in your group instead of Ike?"

Roy elbowed Pit with a small grin. "Good point."

By noon, the supermarket was stuffed with people. People were shoving each other and shouting over their voices. Wyatt's face was colored with stress as he tried to pay his demanding customers' purchases. Granny tried to look over the crowd to keep her store in order.

"Hey, stop!" Alexis shouted as a shoplifter raced out of the store with stolen goods. Her speed as fast as Sonic the Hedgehog, she dashed after the thief.

Robby helped Kyle unload the truck while Marth and Mike quickly brought the merchandises into the supermarket. For once, Marth could tell how Kyle felt during this stressful situation. Pressure and nervousness was strained on his face.

"C'mon, let's go!" Robby shouted at his fellow co-workers as he set a cardboard box full of ramen on the ground. "Let's finish this as soon as possible!"

"E-Eh… Yes!" Marth softly replied, taking the box of ramen. He knew how it felt to be Olimar's Pikmin. Marth hurried into the supermarket. After pushing through the crowd, he met with Mike at the back of the store. "Where do I put this?"

"Anywhere." Mike quickly answered. "Man, it was busy yesterday, but today is just insane!"

Devon, who was sitting in his office watching the commotion outside, saw Marth and Mike chatting to each other. With a scowl, he stomped out of his room and shouted, "What are you two doing?! Stop talking and get to work!"

"Ok, ok." Mike replied in annoyance. "C'mon, let's go Mark."

"Y-Yes!" Marth piped, following his only friend. Why was Devon bossing his workers around? They deserve a small break! He was the one not doing any work!

Granny watched Marth and Mike hurry out of the store. Well, Marth and Mike were working hard. She looked at Wyatt, who was hurriedly taking money out of the customers' hands and shoving them in the cash register. Maybe when she has some free time, she could buy another cash register. It might make things less stressful for poor Wyatt. Granny glanced at where Alexis usually stood. She was not back yet. Did she loose the shoplifter?

As she watched more customers crowd into her store like a swarm of bees attracted by the sweet aroma of flowers and listened to their bothered complaints and shouts, Granny's chest suddenly felt a bit tight. She ignored it at first, thinking that the air was humid. Her chest began to ache painfully. The pain slowly spread to her neck and arms, making it hard for her to breathe, like if she was lying flat on a bed with a sack of rice on her chest. No… That could not happen… She was fine yesterday!

Marth and Mike were carrying two boxes full of cookies. As they headed into the store, the two heard someone gasp in pain and collapse onto the ground. Some of the customers gasped in fright and backed away.

Mike's face went white. "Oh no…" He hurried towards the scene. "Granny!"

Granny was lying on the ground, desperately trying to breathe. Sweat rolled down her pale forehead. The bystanders could only watch in complete shock. What should they do? Should they try to help? But, they did not want to get in the way… Mike rushed towards her side and gently scooped her in his arms.

Marth kneeled next to Mike. "Is she ok?!"

"N-No!" Mike quickly answered. "She got a heart attack! Tell Devon! He'll call the hospital!"

"Yes!" Marth quickly shoved his way through the crowd. "E-Excuse me! C-C-Coming through! M-Make way, please!" When he finally reached Devon's office, he swiftly pulled the door open and exclaimed, "D-Devon! We have an emergency!"

"What is it?" Devon carelessly asked, looking at Marth with a bored look.

"Granny got a heart attack!" Marth hastily piped up.

"Oh, crap!" Devon immediately dialed the phone. "H-Hello? We have an emergency! Someone got a heart attack! A-Age? Eighty-five! Gender? Female! Has she ever gotten a heart attack? Y-Yes!" Devon took a quick look at Marth. "You, clear the store right now!" Marth nodded yes and hurried away.

At that moment, Roy and his group were walking down the streets of Southern Tokyo.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Dedede grumbled.

"Yeah." Wario agreed with a scoff. "If that stupid prince never ran away, I would be watching my TV shows now!"

"Hey, it's your fault for making Marth run away." Ike bluntly replied, glaring at Wario in the eye.

"We thought the prince could take a few remarks." Ganondorf retorted calmly.

"Yeah, remarks!" Ike rejoined in impatience. "You harassed Marth!"

"It's not our fault that Marth is weak." Dedede replied carelessly. "How did he get into the Brawl Tournament again?"

"He knows how to fight with a sword." Ike answered straightforwardly. "He reclaimed his kingdom. He's not weak. It's just that people like you bother him so much, he couldn't take it and break down!"

"Or he's just weak." Wario added mockingly.

"Let me re-describe that." Ike spoke, clutching his fists. "Marth's physically strong however, he is awfully sensitive!"

After holding in his frustration in his heart, Roy finally snapped. "You know what, if you don't want to look for Marth with us, leave!"

The entire group suddenly stopped, startled at Roy's statement. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Dedede finally spoke. "Fine! I don't want to looks for Marth anyway!"

"Same here!" growled Wario. "Besides, what if we don't find him?"

"If we cannot find him, that means we wasted our time." Ganondorf answered.

"He's here!" Roy yelled, gnawing his teeth in anger. "I can sense it! Trust me!"

"Yeah, right." Wario huffed.

"I bet someone found him already!" Dedede chortled. "Let's go, guys."

Ganondorf and Wario began to follow Dedede. "Hey!" Ike called after them. "You guys can't just walk away! We need to look for Marth together!"

"Do you guys even care?!" Roy shouted, his face turning as red as his hair. The villains did not reply. "FINE! We don't need you guys!"

"Let's go, Roy." Ike sighed, motioning to follow him.

Ike and Roy took one last glance at the villains before continuing their journey. Disappointment and anger swelled in Roy's heart. How could they just walk away from this situation?! Did they only care about their sorry selves?! Ike just felt greatly disappointed. Out of all the brawlers, Ganondorf, Dedede, and Wario just HAD to be in their group. Didn't the Hands know that he and Roy have trouble getting along with them? If Link and Pit were in their group, they would have a greater chance of finding Marth!

"Hey Ike, I can't believe Ganondorf, Dedede, and Wario just walked away like that!" Roy spoke, sighing in defeat.

"Yeah." Ike replied, shaking his head sadly. "They only care about themselves and their friends."

"They said that Marth isn't here." Roy added. "Let's not return to the mansion until we find him! We'll prove them wrong!"

Ike was unsure how he should replay. The Hands stated that all of the brawlers and visitors need to return to the mansion by dinnertime. If he and Roy did not arrive back to the mansion in time, they might cause the whole mansion to panic! But, Marth might be in trouble. They couldn't risk leaving him alone for another night! Also, he really wanted to get back at the villains.

"Er, Ike?" Roy asked softly.

"Well… Yeah!" Ike quickly thought of an answer as he covered his uncertain look with a fake smile. "I agree with you!"

All of a sudden, a blaring ambulance dashing at the speed of light zoomed by them. Roy cried out and clutched his blue jacket. Ike held onto his headband as his indigo whipped in his eyes. The ambulance halted in front of a supermarket. Its flashing lights turned the streets red and white. Men carrying a stretcher hurried into the store. Customers were forced out of the store to make way.

"Whoa, what's happening?!" Roy asked Ike.

Ike, who was much taller than his red-haired friend, was able to look over the crowd. "I think I see someone on the stretcher." He answered. "Something must've happened in the store."

"What else can you see?"

Ike squinted his eyes. "I see a man with blond hair hurrying into the ambulance." He made eye contact with Roy. "Let's go and look somewhere else. It's really crowded over there."

"Mike, where are you going?!" Marth asked his friend as he entered the ambulance with Granny.

"I'm coming with Granny." Mike quickly answered.

"What's going to happen now?" Marth questioned uneasily.

"Devon is gonna tell ya! Hopefully, Granny will be alright once when she's in the hospital!"

The doors slammed closed with a bang and the blaring ambulance roared down the streets, taking its blinking lights with it. Marth unhappily looked down at his trembling hands. Was Granny going to be ok? What would happen if she doesn't make it? Where was he going to stay for the night? His backpack was left in her house, along with his money…

"C'mon everyone, please get out!" Devon shouted as he shooed away the customers.  
"The store is closed now!" After forcing all of his shoppers out of the supermarket and locking the front doors, Devon turned to his employees. "Everyone, gather around! We're having an emergency meeting!"

Marth, Alexis, Robby, Kyle, and Wyatt surrounded Devon. "What should we do now?" Kyle asked nervously.

"Until we get news about Granny's condition, the store is going to stay close." Devon spoke.

"What if she passes away?" Alexis softly asked.

"Then I'm going to be the new owner of the store." Devon answered. "My late father signed a contract saying so."

"Why not Mike?" Wyatt questioned loudly. Obviously, he did not think before speaking.

"Yeah!" Kyle agreed. "He's the son of Granny and he's really nice, man!"

Devon huffed arrogantly. "I hate repeating himself… My father signed a contract stating that I will be the heir of this market. Mike is adopted. Besides, it's obvious that he isn't educated enough to own a store. He dropped out of high school."

When Marth heard Devon's rude statement about Mike, he felt like he was punched in the stomach. How dare he insult his friend like that!

"If I take ownership of the store, there will be changes." Devon continued. "First of all, I will cut everyone's salaries, so I can remodel the store."

"What?!" Alexis cried out. "Hey, the store is perfect the way it is!"

"Hey, I want to save my money for my future college tuition!" Wyatt whined.

"I really need to pay for my family's needs…" Kyle sighed miserably.

"I'm already having a hard time paying my rent!" Robby groaned in defeat.

"Deal with it for now." Devon bluntly replied to his workers' complaints.

That was the last straw for Marth. "That's easy for you to say!" he shouted at the selfish manager. "Y-You get p-p-paid a lot! You d-don't deserve to b-be a store owner!"

Devon glared at Marth with an angry scowl. "What… Did you just say?"

"You don't deserve to be a store owner!" Marth shouted furiously. "W-Why? You never t-think about your co-workers! You only think about yourself!"

"Then who should be the store owner?!" Devon retorted. "You?! I don't think so! Besides, if you never came to the store, Granny would've never gotten a heart attack! You're just bad luck!"

Marth gasped in fright and blinked away some tears. No, that couldn't be true! It must have been a coincidence! Things happen without warming!

"I do care about my workers." Devon continued. "It's just that, in order to achieve better things, some things just need to be sacrificed."

"You know what, if this is how everyone's going to be treated, I quit!" Marth shouted, finally exploding in rage. With a growl, he stomped towards the door and unlocked it. The other employees could only gasp in shock and look at each other.

"If that's what you want, fine!" Devon yelled after Marth as the bluenette violently shoved the door open. "We don't need you! That's one less person to pay!"

Although fury overcame his senses, Marth felt a gray tone of sadness as he walked down the streets. Devon's harsh statement painfully punched him in the stomach. He might be right. Nobody does not want him. First, it was the villains back at the Smash Mansion, now it was the supermarket. Granny and Mike were his friends, but they left him so quickly. What if Devon was right? What if he was bad luck? Maybe that was why everyone kept on dropping him like a hot rock.

A small raindrop followed by more raindrops plucked Marth on the head. With a small gasp, he quickly put on his hood and dashed down the streets, back to his home the abandoned building.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Marth, your bad luck is nothing compared to Bad Luck Brian's!**

**This chapter was a bit hard for me to write, so sorry if it's really boring and a bit too cheesy! School's starting in about a week for me, so if I don't finish this story, expect slow updates! I'm trying my hardest to finish this story, because I want to get started on this fanfic that might be very interesting. I think in about three or four more chapters, the story will be completed. **

**Story Questions:**

**What was the meaning of Marth's dream in the beginning of the chapter?**

**Do you think Marth gets too sensitive when he gets insulted? **

**(You don't need to answer them):**

**Any suggestions on what could happen in the next chapter?**

**Some people say that me asking questions at the end of every chapter is like their English class. Should I take this as a sign that I'm annoying them? **


	12. Chapter 12: Electric Blue

"Drip, pluck, cluck." The raindrops sang as they clunked on the roof. Covered in dusty newspapers, Marth was lying on the old mattress in a defenseless blue ball. His tousled blue bangs covered his closed eyes, which were shut in sleep. His clothes were a bit damp.

Outside, the sun sank below the shadowy buildings as the rain nosily pounded on the streets. There were no pedestrians anxiously strolling down the treacherous, shady streets. The ghostly orange light emitting from the tall lamps illuminating the raindrops that fell into its glowing aura.

A pitch-black car driving down the soaked street halted in front of the abandoned building. Two detectives dressed in heavy long coats stepped out and gazed at the building with their eyes, which were covered by pitch-black glasses.

"A few days ago, residents here had spotted a figure sneaking into this building." One of the detectives spoke to his partner. "It might give us a clue to a recent murder!"

"I understand." The partner replied. "If we encounter an armed suspect, what do you want me to do?"

The detective reached into his jacket's large pocket and felt his loaded gun. "Exit the building as soon as possible, drive away, and report the incident to the police. I'll buy you some time." The partner shook his head in understanding as the detective took a small key and unlocked the stiff front door.

Marth was jolted awake by heavy footsteps slowly stepping up the squeaky stairs. His sleepy blue eyes widening in fright, he stayed as still as a rock and kept a sharp eye on the door leading to the hallway. Who was it? Was it a serial killer? Was it a thug? All of his muscles immediately tensed as adrenaline rushed through his boiling veins. Both of his hands began to shake wildly.

"Do you hear anything?" a voice asked. Marth's entire body jerked in anticipation.

"No." a different voice answered. "Most of the rooms are boarded up except for one…"

"Let's check it out!"

"Be careful!"

The detective and his partner cautiously opened the door and carefully looked into the room. Let's see… The room is filled with old furniture covered in sandy tarps. All of the windows except for one were boarded. That's how the figure managed to enter. There was another door leading to another room. Gee, it was awfully dark and shadowy. Were there any sources of light?

"Look, a light bulb." The partner went towards the hanging light bulb and turned it on. Immediately, the room erupted into colors. Yet, the corners of the room were still covered in shadows. As soon as when the light flashed on, it revealed Marth cowering underneath the newspapers.

"I see someone!" The detective instantly took his loaded pistol out of his pocket and pointed it directly at Marth, who gasped and froze. His eyes were glued to the deadly weapon held in his hands.

The partner gasped in bewilderment. "Wait, don't shoot!"

"I'm not going to shoot!" The detective replied. Marth could only awkwardly stare as his fight-or-flight response twitched in his mind.

"He looks familiar!" The partner added.

"What do you mean?!" The detective gave his partner a strange look, taking his eyes Marth for a split minute.

"Doesn't he look like the missing brawler?" The partner asked.

"Look, we're here to investigate a murder base of a famous celebrity." The detective began to explain. "Not the missing brawler case!" He took another look at where Marth was. "Hey, he's gone! Darn it!"

Marth hurriedly dashed down the streets. As his quick footsteps splashed in the puddles and raindrops pounded on his shivering body, thoughts began to race through his anxious mind.

_Why was this happening to him?_

_ What were friends? What was a family?_

_ Was this the fate of Marth Lowell? _

_ What would happen next?_

_ Was his happiness just an illusion?_

_ What was the meaning of happiness, strength, and courage?_

Marth's weak legs finally gave out of him and the exhausted prince collapse onto the ground, right in the middle of a lonely street. He wearily looked up at the pitch-black sky and watched the rain plummet onto him. Chills erupted through his fatigued body. His stomach growled at him for nourishing food.

He was cold, starving, miserable, and helpless. All he could do was stare desperately at the sky, pathetically wondering and hoping. The same thoughts echoed in his heavy heart.

_"Why?"_

_ "I wish..."_

_ "I just want to be happy..."_

* * *

"Ike, should we stop our search?" Roy asked the mercenary as the two Fire Emblem characters sat in a bus stop, watching the rain patter on the soaked street. "It's really late and I think the others are worried."

"Do you still sense that Marth is here?" Ike replied.

"Well, yeah." Roy answered.

"Then we'll keep on looking." Ike said with a tired smile.

Roy smiled back. After carefully looking around his shad surroundings, he reached into one of his blue jacket's large pocket and took out Marth's trademark gold tiara. It shined dimly in the light. The sapphire was a dark speck of midnight blue.

"Roy, why did you bring it?!" Ike gasped to the redhead.

"I brought it for good luck." Roy answered cooly. "Also, if Marth refuses to come back, I'll try to knock some senses into him with this."

"Don't you think it's dangerous to bring it here?"

"Nah, I think it's fine."

Unbeknownst to the two swordsmen, two suspicious men hiding in the nearby shadows saw Roy holding the prized gold tiara. Their faces were covered with a black mask. Their dark coats were as black as coal. A small yet dangerous shotgun was held in their hands. A sharp, gleaming dagger sat in their pockets.

"Hey, that boy is holding a tiara!" the thief with black hair whispered to his partner.

"I see..." the brunette thief replied. "That thing must be made out of pure gold! It's worth a lot in the market!"

"Let's snatch it from him, no matter what it takes!"

The two thieves abruptly raced out of their hiding place and lunged at Ike and Roy. Roy gasped in shock as his face went a deathly pale. As he shoved Marth's tiara back into his pocket, his reflexes jolted him out of his seat. Ike immediately stood up and threw a violent punch at one of the thieves, which sent him falling to the ground like a rock. His vision went completely black and soundless.

"Roy, run!" Ike shouted to Roy.

Roy turned to run away from the scene, when he suddenly slipped on the slippery, wet ground. A gnawing hand grabbed him by his flaming red hair. An arm firmly wrapped around his abdomen, making it hard for him to breath.

"Give me the tiara, boy." the thief hissed in his ears.

"Iiiiiiike!" Roy screamed for the bluenette, struggling wildly in his captor's arms.

Ike jumped in fright. He was about to lunge at the thief like a cat and brutally pull Roy out of his arms, when the thief suddenly placed the barrel of the gun against the side of Roy's fragile forehead. Roy froze like a stature. No... He was not going to pull the trigger, was he?

"Make any suspicious movements and your friend goes." the thief threatened.

* * *

_"Iiiiiiiike!" _Marth's mournful eyes widened in fear as he heard a cry for help. That youthful, frightened voice... It sounded like Roy! Marth took a quick glance at a corner of the street, shakily yet hurriedly got up and raced towards the source of the voice. T scream came over there! Why did Roy go to Southern Tokyo? Was he looking for him? A small tear rolled down Marth's cheek as the thought.

From the corner, Marth saw Ike facing a shady stranger holding Roy firmly in his hands. He watched Roy reach into his pocket and take out something made of shiny gold. Its shape looked too familiar... Marth's sharp eyes widened in fury as realization hit him like a truck. Roy and Ike must have been searching for him. Roy must had brought his tiara to remind him of the good times he had at the Smash Mansion. In the meantime, they ran into this thief, who threatened Roy's life for the tiara!

The blood of Anri, which was passed down from generation to generation in the Lowell Family, began to boil in Marth's bloodstream. He still wasn't sure if Ike and Roy were truly his friends. But, that did not matter now! Roy and Ike needed help! With a startling battle cry, Marth rushed towards the thief, lunged at him, and violently tackled him to the ground.

"What the—" the thief exclaimed before Marth gave him a slap on the face. The sudden force caused him to release Roy.

"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Marth screamed frantically.

"Marth!" Roy exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. "Ike, look! It's Marth!"

"Marth!" Ike shouted, rushing to his friend's aid. As the thief threw Marth off, the mercenary grabbed him by the flailing arms and punched him in the throat, knocking him out.

"Urk..." Marth weakly said as he slowly got up. Roy and Ike rushed towards him.

"Marth, are you ok?!" Roy asked urgently.

"Aiku-kun, Roi-kun, I'm ok." Marth softly answered as the angry blue flame in his heart burned out. "Are you?"

"Yeah!" Roy replied with a cheery smile.

The rain began to gradually stop. Ike nodded yes and looked at the unconscious thieves. "We need to let the police know of these thieves. Roy and Marth, keep an eye on them. If they awaken, knock them out." Ike went to a public pay phone.

* * *

Sadness and worry. That was what all the brawlers and visitors sitting in the foyer felt as they hopelessly gazed at the ticking grandfather clock. What happened? Why did Ike and Roy vanish along with Marth?

Link sat in a large sofa with Pit, Princess Zelda, Princess Peach, Mario, and Luigi. Link's knees were drawn up as he looked down at the floor sadly. Pit was playing with his wings' feathers as he worried about his three other friends. Princess Zelda, Princess Peach, Mario, and Luigi were having a small conversation. Sitting on the sofa across from them were Lilina, Wolt, Eliwood, and Marcus. As Eliwood gently hugged the troubled Lilina and Wolt, Marcus just blankly stared at a blank wall. All of the child brawlers sat in the middle of the front hallway, patiently waiting for Ike, Roy, and maybe Marth to enter. The Greil Mercenaries stood quietly in a corner, waiting for their leader to return.

"Hey, Pit." Link spoke to his angel buddy.

"Yeah?" Pit softly replied.

"Did you see Chrom and the others today?" Link asked.

"Nope." Pit answered. "I was focused on looking for Marth."

"I did." Link said, his pointy ears drooping in bother. "Well, I didn't actually see them. Lucina had to call my name to get my attention. They are still here, it's just that their body literally disappeared!" Pit clutched his brown hair and moaned softly at the terrifying fact.

The Hands were sitting in their office, trying to call the police. However, whenever they dialed 911, there would be an unusually calm voice saying that the line was too busy. It was a punch in the stomach for the two. Three brawlers were now missing, and the police were too busy to be informed?!

"This is really stupid." Crazy Hand said to Master Hand. "Apparently, the police think it is more important to solve a celebrity murder case than to find three missing brawlers!"

"I agree with you." Master Hand replied with a tired sigh. "I'm going to try to call them again. If it says the line is too busy, I'll ask some of the brawlers to report the incident to them."

Just as when Master Hand reached for the phone, it suddenly rung and shook wildly, like if it was excited to tell the Hands something. Wondering what was the thrilling news, Master Hand quickly picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hello, this is the Smash Mansion." He said. "Yes. Oh, you found him along with two other brawlers? That's wonderful! We will pick them up tomorrow, since it is very late. Is that ok? Oh, thank you very much." Master Hand hung up. If he had a facial expression, he would be smiling happily.

"What was that about?" Crazy Hand asked curiously.

"The police just found Marth, Ike, and Roy." Master Hand answered calmly.

With a crazy, ecstatic scream, Crazy Hand suddenly rocketed out of his seat, rammed through the door, and joyfully zoomed through the mansion. "THEY FOUND THEM!" He screamed into poor Link's sensitive ears. "THEY FOUND MARTH, IKE, AND ROOOOY!" The gloved hand's hysterical shout jolted all of the brawlers and visitors from their positions. The ones sitting on the sofas clumsily tumbled out of their seats.

"Err… That's great?" Link asked out loud as Crazy Hand dashed down the hallway to the cafeteria. The Hylian rubbed his throbbing ears. He, the brawlers, and visitors were a bit confused for a few moments.

Ike, Marth, and Roy were sitting in a large, comfortable sofa at an empty police office. The lights were turned off, making the office a room filled with different shades of black and white. A blue nightlight turned its surroundings into a slight shade of light blue.

The three swordsmen were covered by a large spare blanket. With a soft huff, Marth lightly clutched the blanket and snuggled against Ike and Roy, who were already asleep. Ike was snoring quietly. Roy twitched a bit and licked his lips.

Marth was unsure whether he should be glad that Ike and Roy found him. Well, maybe they did not found him. He found them. Tomorrow, he will be returning to the Smash Mansion. Would everyone be glad and overjoyed? Or, would they not care at all?

"Erm… Marth?" Ike stirred as he awoke. He took a look at Marth, who coyly looked back.

"Yes, Aiku-kun?" Marth replied quietly.

"I'm glad that we found you." Ike said with a sleepy smile. "Everyone was worried. Except for Ganondorf and his friends."

"Oh…" Marth sadly looked down.

"Don't worry!" Ike replied. "I'm going to make them pay! How about this: they follow all of your orders, whether they like it or not!"

"That sounds good." Marth giggled mischievously.

Ike gave Marth a small hug. "I really missed you. So did Roy, Link, and Pit."

"Really?" Marth asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah! Did you actually think that Lucina replaced you?" Marth sadly looked down and nodded. "Just because we ignore you and talk to someone else doesn't mean that we don't want you around. We just wanted to make Lucina feel welcomed."

"Oh…" Marth felt embarrassed. If the lights were on, Ike would've seen Marth's deep blush.

"You know, if a billion Marth clones suddenly appeared in the mansion, I'll do anything to find you." Ike spoke. "Nothing can ever replace you."

"Doumo arigatou." Marth quietly thanked, resting his head on Ike's shoulder. He closed his heavy eyes and slowly drifted to sleep.

Ike gently stroked Marth's straight hair. "Tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Stupid Roy. That's all I can say. At least Marth was found. **

**YESSS! I finally manged to post this chapter! School did start, so I am going to be a bit busy! I'll try to upload a chapter weekly. Hopefully, no one isn't loosing interest in this story. (This isn't my best ones. It was a bit rushed.) This story will be completed in a chapter.**

**Also, I opened another poll. Like the last poll, you don't need to vote. I'm just curious on what you think. It's regarding on what should I start on after this story is completed.**

**Who do you prefer: Marth or Lucina? **

**What would you like to see in the next chapter? **

**(You don't need to answer it): If there was an anime or cartoon based on my fanfics, which brawler should be the mascot? (I'm just curious. My fanfics aren't going to be an anime. It's just one of my crazy dreams, haha. xD) **


	13. Chapter 13: Sky Blue and Indigo

The sun's golden rays sliced through the gray clouds as they slowly drifted away, clearing the pure blue sky. The pure light lit up the entire city, chasing away the dull, miserable hues. The pigeons perched on the buildings cooed contently as they took flight to the sky, glad to have the embracing sunny weather back.

Three certain teenagers exited the police station and looked up at the azure sky. Their awe eyes glittered like sapphires as the warm daylight hugged their bodies.

"It's so nice out!" Roy sighed, beaming brightly at his friends.

"Let's go back to the mansion." Ike spoke coolly. "Everyone is worried sick!"

Roy and Ike eagerly went down the steps and noticed Marth was not following him. The prince was blankly staring at the Tokyo hospital, which was a block away from the police station. "Er, what's wrong, Marth?" Ike asked worriedly.

"Is it ok if we can go to the hospital?" Marth softly requested.

"What is it? Do you feel sick?" Roy questioned.

Marth shook his head no. "Erm, when I ran away, I met someone really nice. She got really sick and needed to go to the hospital. Can I see her?"

Ike and Roy looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. "Well, sure." Ike answered.

Marth gave his friends a sweet smile and the three walked to the hospital.

* * *

"I wonder how's Marth doing." Merric spoke to Elice and Caeda as they exited the teleporter room in the Smash Mansion.

"I hope he's doing well." Elice replied.

"I can't wait to see him!" Caeda excited said with a smile.

When the three went to the foyer, strangely it was empty. There was not a person (Or Pokemon, robot, and whatnot.) in sight.

"Where's everyone?" Elice asked.

Merric's ears heard a crowd outside the mansion. "I hear voices. Follow me."

Merric led Elice and Caeda to the Smash Mansion's front yard. There, they found all of the brawlers and visitors gathering around the gate. Some of them were looking over the bar fences, frantically looking around for something. Others were in a large circle, excitedly talking to each other.

"What's happening?" Elice asked as she awkwardly looked around with her friends.

"Do you see Marth?" Caeda spoke as she searched for her fiancée.

"No, I don't." Merric answered. The mage took notice of Lucas, Ness, and Toon, who just exited the mansion. "Excuse me, had you seen Marth?" he asked.

Ness and Toon quickly gave each other a worried look. "Don't say anything." Ness whispered.

It was too late for Lucas's big mouth. "Well, he hadn't been here for a while." With an annoyed scowl, Ness quickly elbowed the blond. "Owch!"

"What do you mean?" Caeda uneasily asked.

Knowing that there was no other way out, Toon began to explain. "A few days ago…"

* * *

Not to disturb the recovering patients, Marth, Ike, and Roy quietly walked down the hospital's hallways. The walls were a boring, plain white and the floors was an icky brown only sounds they heard were heart monitors, coughing, and a few incomprehensible voices. The air smelled stuffy and strange. It did not feel as cool and free as the fresh air outside. Nurses garbed in white uniforms passed by them and gave them strange looks. Hey, weren't they brawlers? Why were they here?

Marth unobtrusively peered into the hospital rooms while his friends trailed him. He saw a pregnant woman, whose attention was glued to an interesting novel. An ill patient was being visited by his loving family. A dreadfully injured man wrapped in bandages like a mummy made the bluenette slightly jump. Marth, Ike, and Roy saw a doctor and several nurses hurry into a room. Knowing that someone had just passed away, the three looked down sadly for a quick moment.

"Had you found your friend yet?" Roy softly asked.

"No." Marth shook his head no.

Ike looked up at the hallway and said, "Well, there's one more room…"

Marth's heart froze for a full minute in fright. If she wasn't in the last room, that meant… Marth quickly snapped out of the negative thought. "Erm, let's go." He quickly said, hurrying to the last room in the hallway. Ike and Roy hurried after him. Holding his breath tightly, Marth anxiously looked in.

To his relief, he found Granny lying in a bed, staring up at the blank ceiling. Marth exhaled the air that was stored in his tense lungs. His worried expression turned into a soft smile. His pounding heart began to calm down with his twisting stomach. Great, she made it! For a horrifying minute, he thought she was the patient who just passed away.

"Is she your friend?" Roy whispered to Marth.

"…Hai." Marth answered in Japanese. He swallowed nervously. "I'm going to see her now."

With a shaky smile, Marth quietly entered the room. Would Granny be angry with him? Would she accuse him for giving her a heart attack? No, she shouldn't! She was an understanding person.

"H-Hello, Granny." Marth softly whispered, standing by her bedside.

"Oh, hello Marth." Granny weakly replied, looking at Marth and giving him a happy smile. "You came to see me."

Marth smiled back and kneeled down. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I should be, kiddo." Granny gently stroked Marth's head. "That's what the doctor told me."

"I'm sorry. If I never came to your store, you—"

Granny put two fingers on Marth's lips, indicating him to stop blaming himself. "It's ok, sonny. It's not your fault. Even though I've only known you for about two days, I am glad that I've met you."

Marth nodded. "Thank you."

"Now that I'm here, where are you going to stay?" Granny asked. "You can't just live in the streets. It's too dangerous."

"Don't worry." Marth replied. "I already found a place to stay."

"What is it?"

"It's home." Marth answered with a small smile.

Granny's lips curved into a smile at Marth's answer. "Oh. So, you realized that your family misses you dearly?"

"Yes. Erm well, I better get going now. They are waiting for me."

"Ok."

"I might visit the store once in a while." Marth stood up. "Goodbye, Granny." He began to exit the room.

"Goodbye, Marth." Granny replied, waving. "It was nice seeing you."

Marth reunited with Ike and Roy and the three began to leave the hospital.

"So, how did it go?" Roy asked.

"Good." Marth answered calmly. "She's going fine."

"That's great!" Ike spoke. "Marth?"

"Yes?" Marth asked with big blue eyes.

"Let's return to the Smash Mansion." Ike gave his friends a wink.

* * *

The child brawlers were looking through the gate when they saw three familiar figures walking down the street, towards the mansion. Their little hearts rose and began to pump excitedly. "I see Ike, Roy, and Marth!" Lucas exclaimed at the top of their lungs. All of the brawlers and visitors silenced. Some of them gasped, others raced towards the gate.

"Ike, Roy, Marth!" Link hollered as he rushed towards the gate with Pit, some of the Greil Mercenaries, Lilina, and Wolt.

The three Fire Emblem characters heard Link's exclaim and the brawlers and visitors calling for them. "Let's hurry." Ike said. "Everyone is dying to see us!"

They hurried towards the Mansion's gate, just as when it swung open. "Guys, guys!" Pit screamed in joy as he lunged at Marth, swung his arms around him, and gave him a warm, hearty hug.

"You're back!" Link gave Ike and Roy a high-five and focused all of his attention on Marth. He joined in the hug with Pit. "Marth, I'm glad that you're back."

"Me too." Marth quietly answered with a soft smile.

Mist, Rolf, and Mia surrounded Ike. "Ike, I'm glad that you're ok!" Mist said as she wrapped her arms around her older brother.

"I'm sorry that I worried all of you." Ike spoke, giving his little sister a pat on the head.

Roy gave the teary Lilina a huge hug as Wolt gave him a mischievous noogie on the head. After holding him in their arms for a while, Pit and Link released the bluenette.

"I missed you..." Marth sniffed. At that moment, Elice, Merric, and Caeda went towards Marth, Pit, and Link. "Oh, Shiida-chan! Merric-kun! Onee-chan!" Marth exclaimed.

Marth hurried towards his Altean friends to greet them. When he was a step away from Elice, Elice suddenly shot him a glower and gave him a sudden slap in the face. With a cry full of pain, Marth immediately backed away. The surrounding brawlers and visitors could only stare in shock.

"Onee-chan, why—" Marth started. He was cut off when Elice threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly.

"Marusu-kun, don't ever do that again." Elice softly whispered in his ears.

"But—" Marth started again.

"I understand how you felt." Elice continued. "Just remember that all of us always care about you."

"Hai..." Marth snuggled in his older sister's arms.

Just then, Chrom and his shepherds approached the scene. Marth awkwardly looked at Lucina, who was facing towards him. Two pairs of identical colored eyes met. Elice sensed the shepherds, let Marth go, and took a quick at Chrom. She gave him a small smile.

"Oh yes, Marth I would like you to meet Chrom and his shepherds." she said, motioning to Marth to approach them.

Marth timidly shrugged his shoulders and was about to step towards when Roy stopped him. "Wait Marth, you need this. You can't be the Prince of Altea without it. "

The redhead gave him his tiara and winked at him. Marth smiled back as he put it in his head. It shone like the sun itself as light shined on it. Swallowing his nervousness, he timidly went to the shepherds and made eye contact with Chrom. All eyes were on the two.

"My name is M-Marth Lowell." he introduced, his hands slightly shaking. "I am the Prince of Altea. It is very nice to meet y-you." He held out his trembling right hand and smiled coyly. Was he making himself look like a coward now? Chrom kept a firm, stern look on his face, which caused Marth to panic a bit in the inside. Oh no... He did not like him! "It's an honor to h-have you here!" Marth added, trying to reassure himself.

"I was expecting my ancestor to be strict, cold, and confident." Chrom bluntly said. Marth jumped at the sudden statement. Wait, Chrom was his decedent? That also made Lucina, Emmeryn, Lissa, and Owain related to him! Ike was blown by Chrom's straightforward and rude remark. He was about to march straight up to him and retort when Link quickly stopped him.

"I think it's going to be alright." Link quietly whispered to the mercenary. Ike nodded back.

"I'm sorry that I didn't meet you sooner!" Marth quickly apologized as he felt his pride being thrown in the trash. "You must've c-came here to see me in the first place!"

Chrom watched Marth's face turn into a bright hue of pink. "However, I prefer a ruler who is polite, sensitive, and understanding to others." He smiled at the shaken prince and shook his hand. Marth slowly calmed down and smiled back.

* * *

Marth's and Lucina's birthday finally came on the next day, which was April 20th. Although they shared many physical features, they were as different as day and night.

On that day, all of the brawlers and visitors gathered in the backyard for the prince's and princess's birthday. On the day before, Marth told everyone that he did not want to celebrate his birthday by going to the fancy restaurant, which was fine with Ike. Princess Peach, Mario, and Luigi were setting up a picnic on some tables while everyone was doing their own things. The child brawlers and Henry were running around in a game of tag. Some of the brawlers were gathered in a mutated circle, engaged in a conversation.

"Where's Marth?" Link asked, looking around for the prince.

Pit flew into the air, above everyone's heads, and looked around. "I don't know! I cannot find him!"

Ike suddenly got a clue on where was Marth. "I think I know where he is. Let me find him."

Ike entered the mansion and went to Marth's room. There, he found the prince curled on his bed, buried underneath his covers. His eyes were shut tightly in sleep. He was snoring quietly.

"Hey Marth, wake up!" Ike said, putting a hand on Marth. He gently shook him awake.

Marth's eyes were still closed. "Five more minutes Aiku-kun..." he sighed, trying to drift back to his peaceful sleep.

Ike shook his head. They could not wait for five more minutes... The mercenary sudden got a malicious idea. "Do you remember what today is?" he hissed sinisterly into Marth's ears.

"Yeah, Rukina-chan's and my birthday..." Marth grumpily replied.

"If you don't get up now, Lucina's gonna eat all of the cake!"

Marth's eyes suddenly snapped open and he flew off his bed. "Iya! I can't let her eat all the cake!" He rushed towards his closet and took out his prince attire.

Ike smirked as he watched the prince hurry into the bathroom.

After when Marth got ready for the day, he hurried to the backyard, dragging Ike with him. "Hurry up!" he exclaimed childishly as they were about to enter the backyard.

"Whoa, slow down!" Ike said as he and Marth hurried into the backyard. "Lucina can't finish the entire cake in five minutes!"

Link saw Ike and Marth rush towards them. "There he is!" he said with a smile.

"Happy birthday, Marth!" Pit said as he gave Marth a hug.

Marth hugged the angel back. "Doumo arigatou!"

Mario saw Marth embracing his friends and turned to Princess Peach. "Should we-a start?" he asked.

"Yes." Princess Peach answered sweetly. "Everyone, let's gather and sing _Happy Birthday _to Marth and Lucina!"

Everyone looked at Lucina and Marth with a smile. Despite the fact that some of them couldn't sing well, they began to sing the short, famous song to the two bluenettes. While Lucina just calmly stood by Chrom's side and proudly looked up at the clear sky, Marth's face went a deep hue of red, hid behind Ike, and bashfully looked back at the singers over the mercenary's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Marth?" Link asked the embarrassed prince. "Everyone's singing _Happy Birthday _to you! You should be happy!"

"It's embarrassing me…" Marth softly whispered back.

"Hey, you shouldn't be embarrassed!" Roy replied, giving Marth a nudge on the shoulder.

Marth smiled at the redhead and nodded yes. As soon as when the song ended, Mario made an announcement. "Who want some-a cake?!"

"Me!"

"I do!"

"CAAAKE!"

"Pyroo! Py!"

"Pikaaa! Pikachuu!"

"BEEP!"

"Me first!"

"Hey! Ladies first!"

Some of the brawlers and visitors began to hurry towards the tables, where the two fancy cakes were sitting. Both of them were three-tier. One of them had icing that matched the color of the sky and was decorated with lavender flower icing. The other one was decorated with indigo icing and had the Mark of the Exalt decorated on the top.

"Stop!" Princess Peach exclaimed, stepping in front of the stampeding brawlers and visitors. All of them instantly stopped.

"Marth and-a Lucina get the first slice!" Mario said, keeping a sharp eye on everyone.

Some of the brawlers and visitors groaned at each other in impatience, which earned a nasty glare from Princess Peach. The others watched Lucina and Marth take a paper plate and fork and gaze up at the cakes. Whoa… They are so tall and fancy… Which one should they try first?

"If you two are-a wondering," Mario spoke, noticing the two's confusion. "The blue one is-a for you Marth and-a the indigo one is-a for you Lucina.

"Oh…" Marth quietly said to himself. He looked at Lucina and smiled modestly. "Rukina-chan, you can go first."

"Oh! But, you're my ancestor." Lucina quickly replied, not expecting Marth to say she could go first. "It's better if you go first."

"Still, y-you can go!" Marth said, his cheeks turning pink. "Really! L-Ladies first!"

Lucina blink awkwardly before her face flushed a light shade of pink and her lips stretched into a small smile. "Thank you."

She quickly took a small slice of indigo cake, revealing it to be vanilla. Watching her coolly take a small bite of the cake, Marth cut a slice of blue cake and childishly took a mouthful of chocolate cake. His calm blue eyes widened and began to sparkle brightly as the delicious, sweet flavor rushed through his tongue.

"I think Marth likes it." Princess Peach giggled softly to Mario and Luigi.

Marth and Lucina sat next to each other and started a conversation. In the meantime, Link, Ike, Pit, and Roy waited in line for cake and watched them laugh at a small joke Marth made. "Even though they are related and look the same, they are different." Pit remarked as he helped himself to a piece of vanilla cake.

"I know!" Roy replied, shoving a large slice of chocolate in his mouth. "I wonder why."

"Everyone has different personalities." Link spoke calmly, licking the blue frosting off his fork.

"Hey Aiku-kun, Rinku-kun, Roi-kun, and Pitto-kun, join us!" Marth called to them cheerfully.

"Alright!" Ike replied, quickly taking a large slice of blue cake and plopping it on his plate.

The four went to Lucina and Marth, sat down, and joined the conversation.

"So, how are you?" Roy asked Lucina.

"I'm feeling fine." Lucina answered with a smile. "How about you?"

"Great!" Roy replied with a bright smile.

"I'm glad that everything's back to normal!" Pit piped up.

Just then, Chrom, Lissa, Henry, and Owain approached them. Lissa held a colorful flower wreath and smiled cheerily at the six. Henry held a mysterious black and purple metal box with a small crank. Owain stood by his father's side. Chrom was carrying a bundle wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.

"Konnichiwa, minna." Marth greeted the four. "What do you need?"

"Nothing, Prince Marth." Chrom replied. "We just want to give you our gifts."

For the one millionth time, Marth's face turned pink. It resembled the color of roses. "Erm, t-thank you." Marth softly said.

Lissa stepped forward and set the flower wreath on Marth's head like a crown. Marth gently touched its tiny, fragile flowers. "I know, it's nothing." Lissa said. "I didn't really know what to get you."

"I like it!" Marth exclaimed happily. Lissa smiled in pleasure.

"Like my mother, I did not quite know what to give to thou." Owain began. Lucina noticed that her cousin was not speaking in overly theatrical fashion. She assumed he was still disturbed from almost fading from existence. "I-I'm sorry."

"It's okay!" Marth said. He did not mind at all.

"Here's a gift from Owain and me." Henry said, giving Marth the cryptic box. Marth gawkily looked at it, trying to find a way to open it. "Turn the crank." Henry added with a mischievous smile. "You'll get a surprise!"

With a curious look in his eyes, Marth began to slowly turn the crank. A small innocent melody began to play. As everyone kept their eyes on the secretive box, Henry's smile widened with Marth's questioning eyes.

All of a sudden, the box's lid burst open and an eerie jester popped up. It had wide dark eyes, black hair, and pale skin. It was garbed in shiny indigo and gold fabric. Marth, who kept his eyes entirely on the box, screamed in surprise and jumped back. He began to tremble wildly and quickly curled into a ball. Pit jolted back and gasped. Link's ears twitched as he cringed. Roy and Ike flinched and began to shake a bit. None of them were expecting the malicious jester to jump out at them like a cat. Henry began to laugh at the brawlers' reactions.

"I jest that you weren't expecting it! Nya-haha!" Henry giggled naughtily.

Lissa groaned loudly and gave her husband a sudden punch in the face. "That was the worst pun ever." She grumpily said. "Also, you could've given Prince Marth a heart attack! Do you want us to disappear?!"

"Marth are you ok?!" Ike quickly asked. He heard Marth mumble something. "Marth?"

Marth began to laugh hysterically. The pop-up was so sudden that instead of frightening him, it made him laugh. "Ahahaha!" Marth cried out as tears of joy rolled down his cheeks. "It… was… so… f-funny!" He slowly stopped chortling, calmed down, and sat up.

"I jest that you like it." Henry joked, rubbing his face. Everyone groaned at the terrible pun. Lissa mentally slapped the dark mage.

"Well," Chrom started. "Prince Marth, I would like to mention that you cannot keep this present."

Marth inoffensively blinked. "Why?" Chrom motioned Marth to come to him. Marth crept towards him and his descendent unwrapped a small portion of the bundle, revealing a small sleeping baby with dark blue hair and matching eyes. Her left eye had a unique pattern in it. Ike, Link, Pit, and Roy huffed quietly. "Oh!" Marth softly gasped. "It's a baby! What is his or her name?"

"She is Lucina in the present." Chrom answered. "Today is her first birthday."

"Kawaii desu…." Marth leaned closer to take a look at the infant Lucina. Her eyes suddenly fluttered open and she harmlessly looked at her ancestor directly in the eye. The two stared at each other for a moment.

All of a sudden, baby Lucina reached, grabbed Marth's long blue hair, and pulled it. Marth mewled softly in pain and backed away, making the infant giggle.

"Ah, you're so naughty…!" Marth whispered with a small smile. Like if she understood what Marth said, baby Lucina immediately let go and smiled naively. "You're also smart!"

"I have a question, Chrom." Ike spoke up. "Who's your wife?"

Chrom began to uneasily twiddle his fingers. "Well, my wife is-" He was cut off by Roy, who had an alarmed expression on his face.

"Don't tell them!" Roy blurted out. "Or else, a shipping war is going to break out!"

Everyone laughed at the redhead's joke.

* * *

**Author's Note: Oh Henry, you and your terrible jokes! Wait, I think my jokes are worse! **

**Well, the story's finally over. To be honest, I feel that this story wasn't one of my best fanfics. I didn't plot my whole story well, which led to boring chapters.** **Hopefully, the semi-good ending makes it up.**

**My next fanfic is going to be "Brawlers, Take Your Marks!". It's the Fox/Falco/Sonic story I've been mentioning for a while. I'm already finished with the first chapter, so the earliest it will be uploaded is on Monday. If not, it will be posted on Friday. **

**(Annoying) Story Questions: **

**What do you like the most about this story? **

**Where do you think I need to improve?**

**(You don't need to answer this): Do you like the way I portray Marth in my stories? I had this feeling that people expect him to be more noble and confident. **


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